The 2023 Cricket World Cup might be underway in India but as far as we are concerned at The Gurgler it is not the best cricket entertainment on right now. That is actually the European Cricket Championships – one of sport’s hidden gems.
While the biggest cricket teams, and the brightest stars in the world are shining in India, in sunny Spain you will not find household cricket names nor nations that you even knew played cricket, and that’s part of the attraction.
Romania, Guernsey, Belgium, Luxembourg? You bet. They are all here along with most most of Europe’s nations and all are there vying for the European Cricket Championships glory.
Sure you won’t know any of the players, and the standard may be some distance below the Cricket World Cup, but that’s one of the attractions. The level of ability and huge effort these players put in are much more aligned with the everyday cricket fan, making one feel that playing the European Cricket Championships is within reach. And leads to a quick check on ancestry.com to see if there’s any links to a European nation.
It’s the simplicity too. Not 50 overs with a middle part where the batting side drags out the overs. The European Cricket Championships is a quick, 10 over blast that even has a countdown for the bowling side to get through their overs. This means the batters are sometimes in a big hurry, and there have been some incredible scoring rates. Some players going at 3-4 runs a ball for your entertainment.
No 90 second discussions between balls about field placements either, there’s no time, the clock is ticking, and that includes time to find the ball after a six in the overgrown grassy mounds.
Talking of sixes, there’s another major reason the European Cricket Championships are the greatest – the commentator. Vinny Sandhu is the main man with the mike, and he brings an enthusiasm for cricket which is infectious. If you watch the coverage for long enough, he will drag you into his world of European Cricket. Then there’s his famous Maximooooooo calls for a six. Similar to the Billy Bowden signal for six back in the day, the man known by Mr Maximooooo has made a name for himself by giving it a little something extra. For the record a recent addition is the “Minimoooo” for the four which works for us.
Catch Mr Maximoooo on X (formerly known as Twitter) via this link.
And talking of sixes, or Maximoooo as us Euro Cricket freaks like to insist on calling them, the small Malaga ground is the perfect size for this level of cricket. With sixes / maximoooos hit with regularity, and occasionally the ball is hard to find on the grassy mounds that surround the ground, adding to the weekend warrior charm.
And the pitch? Again the European Cricket Championship goes simple. No fast/slow pitch or one that is bias towards any player or team or doctored to suit, it is simply a Gabba Grass pitch where everyone wins. And keeps that theme of watching an achievable level of cricket to un-retire to.
There’s no glamour to it either. The teams rest in marquees rather than fancy pavilions, and the ground even has a little green carpet rolled out for the cricketers which is held down by bricks and a giant, inflatable cricket ball says to a cricket fan that they are ready to put on a show.
And put on a show these teams from the European Cricket Championship certainly do, and the time slot works great for fans in Australia as it lands in prime time. And where else are you going to get Luxembourg and Scotland or Malta v Sweden in any sport.
So ignore the European Cricket Championships at your peril. It’s one of sport’s hidden gems that is waiting to be discovered by more folk. And don’t delay, as the sharp end of the competition is almost here.
And if you want to know more, please follow the below link. You won’t be disappointed.
FIND OUT MORE – Official European Cricket Championship Website
