This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the International Cricket Council, an organisation with the enviable task of promoting the sport of cricket on a global scale.
As part the ICC’s centenary celebrations, Spain was granted the opportunity and funding to encourage and support cricket through the Madrid Twenty20 tournament last Spring plus the organisation of a family orientated fun event in October.Most of the male species over the age of 25 know the name W.G. Grace. He is synonymous with the early days of cricket and many schoolboy cricketers can still picture in their mind an old Black and White photograph of this gentleman with a long grey beard holding his cricket bat, from the turn of the last century. Those images of a bygone age shall be recalled as players from local Spanish teams don cricket uniforms from yesteryear and play a charity event, in full costume, on Saturday, October 3rd at the La Manga Club in Murcia.
Also planned; a schoolboy match, fun and games for the kids (of all ages), the delights of our own ‘Mr. Whippy’ offering soft ice cream and slushes plus cricketing celebrities and guests of honour. Any money raised from the event will go towards improving the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in Anantpur in India, where the Spanish NGO the Vicente Ferrer Foundation is based.
Cricket España is the governing body for the sport in Spain. Founded in 1986, Cricket España now brings together 20 teams from many parts of the country. Its mission is to promote the sport, encourage youth participation, develop cricketing abilities, organise competitions and national teams and ensure the Spirit of Cricket prevails in the sport in Spain. Spain became an Affiliate Member of the ICC in 1992 (www.icc-europe.org/SPAIN).
