Madrid CC last training session prior to the Twenty20 event

Madrid Cricket Club have been going through their final paces ahead of their Twenty20 tournament which takes place in La Manga this weekend. The 2nd Solidarity T20 Tournament sponsored by La Manga Club takes place from the 24th to the 28th of April. The tournament brings together teams from Spain, the Netherlands and England and the hope is to raise money for the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in the work it does for children with disabilities in India and also to raise funds for the development of cricket here in Madrid.

While winning is important the emphasis for the weekend will be to ensure that a good tournament is enjoyed by all the teams taking part with a chance to extend the hand of friendship from MCC to all its rivals, especially to the teams coming from abroad.

The tournament will also serve as a useful exercise as preparations are underway for a tough season ahead. This year with the expansion of the Spanish National Cricket League, Madrid will have some tough fixtures and tough opponents to overcome if they are to repeat the success of past seasons. Pitted against La Manga, Sporting Alfas and Valencia Green, MCC will need to pull out their best form if they are to progress through their group to qualify for the finals weekend in September.

But there is much hope given the new facilities at the University Rey Juan Carlos where the team trains on Saturdays. Click here to view photographs of the team's last training session prior to the Twenty20 event.

Ashish Sharma