No longer a colonial outsider?

Let’s be honest, Spain is not renowned for it’s exploits on the cricket field. At this moment in time, the Iberian Peninsula is not blessed with cricketing cathedrals such as Lords or the MCG. However, that could be about to change. The inaugural Spanish National Cricket League got underway this weekend, when eight teams went into battle with the goal of being crowned the first Spanish champions.

The majority of those taking part in the opening fixtures in La Manga or Alicante were foreigners living in Spain, and looking to enjoy their favourite sport with other likeminded enthusiasts, most of whom hail from the Commonwealth. 2007 could arguably be a special year for the game on a national scale here in Spain, as all eight clubs will be looking to generate interest within their respective communities and as a result, attract Spaniards to participate.

The days of a competitive Spanish national squad are an extremely long way off. However, the recent achievements of teams such as Ireland in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, should encourage teams such as Madrid CC, which has grown immensely over the winter, to continue their good work.

The league is split into two divisions, covering the North and South of the country, where each team will have to play each other twice. Towards the end of the summer, the top two sides from both Northern and Southern conferences will contest the semi-finals, with the final to be decided in La Manga on the 8th September.

Spectators at the La Manga ground were treated to two days of run-filled competitive cricket, as the first weekend of the Southern Section got underway with Madrid winning both their games against the event hosts and Mojacar, respectively. Meanwhile, in the Northern Section, the one game played saw Sporting Alfas 1st XI defeat their second string with relative ease.

The “gentleman’s” game was first played in Spain in 1809 by British soldiers, however a number of factors, including the commonly held belief that Cricket is not compatible with the Latin way of life, have impeded it’s development. This new and concerted effort by clubs affiliated to Cricket España, formerly known as the Spanish Cricket Association, will undoubtedly be aided by the advent of the Twenty/20 format of the game.

This shorter, and fast-paced version of the game may not appeal to the purists, but it could well help to increase participation among Spanish natives, thus contributing to the general well-being of the sport in a land where Football and Basketball are King. In fact Twenty/20 is not new to Spain, with tournaments having been held at the La Manga complex in Murcia since 2004, albeit with the participation of mostly foreign sides.

The impact that the new National Cricket League will have remains to be seen, but with the re-branding of the Spanish Cricket Association, the launch of their new website, and participation at clubs such as Madrid on the rise, the future of Spanish Cricket looks brighter.

Robert Hatch