Since yesterday, Monday, March 14th, the final week of the European Cricket League has begun. The tournament, which brought together champions from 29 European countries plus the defending champions, VOC Rotterdam, has not been without its surprises. Certainly, two of the favorites, the English and Irish champions, have qualified for the final week. However, along the way, the big favorite from England suffered a defeat against the French underdog, Dreux, and the Irish lost their first match against the champions from Guernsey.
It is the challengers who have disrupted the status quo that have made the tournament interesting. The French from Dreux, the Belgians from Ostend, the Germans from Frankfurt have not disappointed. And above all, the Scots and the Dutch have been eliminated in favor of the Italians from Brescia, the Swedes from Alby, and the Spaniards from Badalone!
The elimination of the Scots is perhaps regrettable in that the Carlton CC club was well-represented on Twitter for the ECL, but several other clubs have also done so, which is encouraging. The excellent Cricket Europe website has dedicated a second article to the ECL, focused on the presence of Brigade CC.
The elimination of the Dutch is troubling if it indicates a lack of interest from the Dutch side. The Netherlands is a leading country in Europe, but perhaps they do not have enough resources to manage the departure of national team players for the Super League against New Zealand and at the same time defend their title in the ECL? Or did they underestimate the level? It would indeed be encouraging to think that this tournament serves as a catalyst for the level of European cricket to rise, even if the T10 format is not very popular.
That said, the tournament seems to have been followed by many on YouTube. The financial model seems solid, with a set of sponsors, and especially BET2BALL. However, one can question the profile of this online audience. If it is an audience watching from South Asia, it contributes to financing the tournament but not to the growth of the sport in Europe.
However, the announced financial prizes, a total of 105 thousand euros, with between 4k and 20k for the finalists, are enticing for the clubs and their players. If these prizes galvanize some European clubs to improve, that’s excellent. Personally, I hope that part of these winnings will go to the clubs rather than the players. We are still very far from professionalism in Europe, and what seems most important to me at the moment is not to remunerate players, but to improve the structures of our clubs. Too many clubs in Europe do not have a clubhouse, training nets, or even a field.
In the meantime, here is an interesting week of competition that awaits us! Should we, as neutral spectators, hope for an English victory in the slim hope that it will draw British attention to the existence of this championship? Should we fear that the ECL will be labeled a tournament of no interest by the British media if a little-known club beats the favorite? A victory by one of the underdogs (like Sweden or Spain) should give a boost to cricket in their country. If the English from Tunbridge Wells win, they will be told « Well played! »
And each club will know where to set the bar to win in 2023!
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James Worstead
