Festival of the three Falklands Cricket Week - July 2010

FESTIVAL OF THE THREE FALKLANDS CRICKET WEEK JULY 2010
 

As part of their 150th Anniversary celebrations in 2010, Falkland CC of Scottish National Cricket League Division One have confirmed the arrangements for a Cricket Festival at Scroggie Park in July to be held between a unique triumvirate of teams. Falkland themselves will compete, against Falkland.  They will also compete against Falkland. Confused yet?? Then read on........

The Fife club have invited Falkland CC from Berkshire, and the Falkland Islands Cricket Association to take part in a celebratory competition to mark the anniversary. Both have confirmed that they will take part.

A trophy has been generously donated by Tom Swales of Stanley Services Ltd, who helped forge links between the Islands and the Berkshire Falkland, and they first competed for the trophy in 2007 in England, with the Berkshire club travelling out to the south Atlantic to successfully defend the trophy in March 2009. The Stanley Services Cup 2010 goes ahead on the following dates:

Tuesday 20th July  2010             Falkland v Falkland          (Islands v Berkshire!)

Wednesday 21st July 2010         Falkland v   Falkland        (Fife v Islands!)

Thursday 22nd July 2010            Falkland  v   Falkland       (Fife v Berkshire!)
 
Falkland CC in Fife have a proud history: having made their way through four divisions of the East of Scotland League, which they first entered in 1979, they achieved Scottish National League status in 1998 and have maintained that level ever since. With arguably one of the most beautiful grounds in the UK, Scroggie Park, the club proudly field four senior teams every weekend, as well as a number of colts and junior teams. Not a bad achievement for a village with a population of little more than 1300!  Past players include the former Scotland captain Ryan Watson, who played for the club for three years before moving to Forfarshire, and Ian Moran, who represented New South Wales in the KFC Big Bash Twenty20 competition , as well as the Scottish Saltires in 2006 whilst at Falkland.

Falkland’s ground lies in the Falkland Estate, whose Hereditary Keeper is Ninian Crichton-Stuart. His son Francis plays for the club, but there are other family dynasties involved in the club, typically of a village of its size. The Watson family, for example, are ubiquitous and diligent in their hard work for the club. Former Scottish youth internationalists Paul and Graeme (with unlikely nicknames like 'Waldo' and 'Stookie') are first-team members, as is their uncle Mike. And their father Brian, with more than 15000 runs to his name, only recently stood down from first team duties to oversee young players making their mark in the second eleven, while Pat is the groundsman who lovingly tends to the pitch with the result that Scroggie Park has recently hosted numerous age group games in World Cup Qualifying and European Championship tournaments. On visiting the ground in his official capacity as European Cricket Council Chairman, former England Test player Doug Insole enthused that "Scroggie Park is one of the most enchanting grounds I have ever visited".

The Club won the Scottish League Division Two title in 2009, meaning that 2010 is being celebrated at the highest standard the club has achieved: they are one of the top 20 clubs in Scotland. They also are the current holders of the Fife Cup after a thrilling victory in the final against near neighbours Freuchie in 2009.

The Berkshire Falkland, who also boast a long history dating back to around 1884, are currently playing in Division Two (West) of the Home Counties Premier Cricket League, which is formed from the top 30 club sides at the top of a pyramid which cuts across clubs in five Counties (Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire). Well known to those who follow Minor Counties Cricket as a regular host of Berkshire Home games, their ground at Wash Common near Newbury is a beautiful location, meaning they have a lot in common with their Fife hosts!!

Their current First Team squad is experienced: Khalid Zafar formerly played for Islamabad before settling in England, whilst Mark Foster and George Trewby play Minor Counties cricket for Berkshire. Neil Gunter is a former contracted player at Derbyshire with First Class experience; Steve Pope is a former England Age-group squad member. They will provide formidable opposition for the boys from Fife!! Most recently they have reached the Regional Finals of the ECB National Indoor 6-a-side competition, having won the Berkshire section and effectively reached the last 32 of the National tournament.

The Falkland Islands Cricket Association has a much shorter history, but impressive for the speed of its development. Whilst there is only intermittent knowledge of cricket being played in the South Atlantic in the early part of the 20th century, Stanley Cricket Club was active in the 60s and 70s with matches against the marine garrison and occasional games against sides from Buenos Aires. Cricket then effectively disappeared from the Falklands until 1989 when a Governors XI v British Forces XI series started. Through the 1990s a group of cricket enthusiasts started to play as best they could on the community school field, and this group then formed the Falkland Island Cricket Association in 2001.

In 2003, with assistance from the Shackleton fund, the FICA was able to arrange for Warren Stott, the former New Zealand Test player, to come to the Falklands for a period of coaching which really added impetus to the cricket scene. In 2004, the FICA sent a side to tour Chile, and a strong healthy link with the Chilean CA has been maintained. An Under 17 squad has been nurtured, and similarly they toured the South American mainland in the 2006-07 season.

The Islands celebrated a major step forward In 2006 when they completed the process of affiliation to the International Cricket Council. Affiliation to the ICC should see further development in the game in the South Atlantic. There are now four teams on the Island, playing regular 50 over and Twenty20 games throughout the summer.  They toured England in 2007, and now return for a further tour in 2010 to help Falkland celebrate their 150th anniversary, after making their debut in the World League Americas Division Four competition in Mexico in June, against Mexico, Cuba and Costa Rica. The touring squad will be a combination of Islanders and ex-pats working there; the full National side, developed through the junior structure , will understandably not all travel so soon after the World League trip.

As well as the Festival, other events are planned to celebrate the Fife club's 150th anniversary: an anniversary tour by the club to Cyprus takes place in April; there is a midsummer ball, a player’s reunion, a book, and a post-season Sportsman's Dinner, as well as other events.

Keep an eye on the club website (www.falklandcricketclub.org.uk) for news throughout 2010, or contact us on info@falklandcricketclub.org.uk for more details.