Dellor Delivers in Corfu

Tim Dellor travelled to Greece, and the Island of Corfu, to deliver an ECB Level 1 course to budding coaches. A dozen coaches gave up a long weekend to learn the subtleties to a game which has a long history in this Mediterranean holiday destination ?

When Lord Byron introduced the game of cricket to the Island of Corfu in the early 1820's, he had no idea how enthused and passionate the locals would become. Both the game and the island have moved on since the 1820's, but cricket still holds a special place in Corfiat life.

Novembers in Corfu see temperatures reach 20C and the autumnal sunshine puts any cricket lover in the mood. Nothing could be further from the dusty and inhospitable conditions England's cricketers were having to endure in Multan, during a first test watched by many via satellite television back in Greece. While the celebrated main square in the heart of the old town lies deserted, and the more modern purpose built arena at the plush harbour is only inhabited by the occasional stray dog, Greek cricketers are working tirelessly indoors.

For some preparation for the forthcoming Indoor Championship, to be held at Lord's in February 2006 is uppermost in their thoughts. For teachers and coaches of the game it is a chance to hone their skills, developing the game to ensure future generations on the island enjoy the game.

Curiously, for a country which boasts such a favourable climate, Greece is blessed with many excellent indoor cricket facilities. They were ringing with the sound of ricocheting tennis balls and the thud of leather on willow this week as a dozen wannabe cricket instructors were put through their paces. They are training to become the latest batch of Level 1 qualified coaches.

The ECB is encouraging new ideas and principles within the delivery of this basic qualification, some of which were included in the Greece course. The notion of Long Term Athlete Development, the use of questions to assist learning and creative planning and preparation were all well received. Excellence of demonstrations remains at the core of the course, and while nearby air traffic control needed alerting during a wild pull shot practise session, the candidates showed definite improvement.

There is a huge appetite for sport throughout Greece right now. If London Olympic 2012 organisers need to hold up an example of a legacy left by the games look no further than Athens and the rest of Greece. The enthusiasm has seeped through to non olympic sports including cricket.