ECC marks ten years of achievement

There is, as the recently-retired ECC chairman Doug Insole CBE (right) observed, 'no better room to hold a cricket dinner-or any other do.'

And for the 150 guests who recently attended the 10th Anniversary Dinner in the Long Room at Lord's, to mark the first decade of the European Cricket Council, this was no ordinary dinner.

They included representatives of sixteen of the ECC's 27 member countries, the MCC and England and Wales Cricket Board-both long-standing supporters of the Council's activities-the ICC, and twenty or so sponsors and business partners.

In that remarkable gallery, looked down on by paintings of cricket matches and portraits of cricketing luminaries such as John Wisden and W.G. Grace, the assembled company was able to celebrate ten years of extraordinary progress, and to look forward to many more.

Sponsored by Links of London, Berry Brothers, Tobasgo Creative, Danubius Hotels, and Sharp Focus, the dinner brought together staff and volunteers who had helped to create this success story, including former ICC Regional Development Managers Nigel Laughton and Ian Stuart.

With a juxtaposition which neatly captured cricket's combination of tradition and innovation, the paintings shared the space with six multimedia screens, on which the diners saw a lively collage of clips, compiled by Sharp Focus, representing every level of cricket from children playing on a snow-covered pitch to the heat of World Cup competition.

The occasion also saw the launch of the Trevor Henry Memorial Fund, commemorating the Irish umpire who died earlier this year. An auction and raffle held in the course of the evening raised more than £5000 towards this cause, which will provide funds for scholarships to be awarded to European umpires, allowing them to improve their education through exchange visits to other countries.

Unsurprisingly, the speeches, by ICC Regional Development Manager Richard Holdsworth, former chairman (and new MCC President) Doug Insole, and current ECC chairman Roger Knight, gave a good deal of attention to the achievements of the past decade: the expansion of the Council's membership from the original 14 countries to 27, the elevation of three of these from Affiliate to Associate status, the development of an ambitious programme of youth and senior tournaments, the introduction of European academies for the most promising young men and women players, and the achievements of the leading Associates in qualifying for successive World Cups. But there were also clear indications that the Council has no intention of resting on these laurels.

Noting the fact that a European XI had this year taken on an MCC A side in The Netherlands, both Insole and Knight were justly delighted that next season's return fixture would take place at Lord's (on 7 June 2007).

Knight, some time president of the ECC's predecessor, the European Cricket Federation, recalled that his own engagement with Continental cricket extended back to his captaining an MCC side which in 1989 lost to a French team comprising eight expatriates, two players from Guadaloupe, and a lone Frenchman from Alsace.
For the new ECC chairman, priorities include continuing to spread the unique culture of cricket, and building on initiatives such as the European XI-'who knows,' he speculated, 'before long a European team may be taking on sides representing Continents in an inter-regional competition.' He also stressed the importance of generating sponsorship, both centrally and in the member countries, and held out the prospect of cricket eventually becoming an Olympic sport.

Acknowledging the contributions of all those who make it possible for more than 70,000 girls and boys, women and men to enjoy playing the game across Europe, Richard Holdsworth singled out the role of Doug Insole, who chaired the Council for nine and a half of its first ten years and who received a standing ovation as he accepted a presentation in recognition of his work.