Funding Annual Support Programma has provided cricket equipment to new Austrian clubs

ECC's Annual Support Programme funding has provided new Austrian clubs with cricket equipment in order to start the game up. It arrived recently and within 48 hours the Graz CC were already using their kit in competition and AVL Graz were practising in the next hall. The support helped the two new clubs participate in the Graz CC Indoor Cricket Tournament.

The ICC Development Program also supplied InterCricket and Kwik Cricket sets in order to help grow the game at youth level. Austrian Chairman Mike Bailey met with Mag. Gert Bernat (Director of the Universitäts sportzentrum Graz) during the weekend to discuss the possibilities of usage of the venue. Bailey commented 'he seems enthusiastic for incorporating cricketing activities in the halls which are an excellent size for indoor cricket and there are other halls which can be used for cricket related activities-both Graz clubs are able to make use of it'. 'Graz is a comfortable driving distance from Bratislava (Slovakia), Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Western Hungary'.

Bailey also met potential candidates for an ICC Introduction to Cricket course which Austria are hoping to run in the near future. Similarly, preparations are in place for meetings with ASKÖ (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Sport und Körperkultur in Österreich-one of the three main governing bodies to which sports clubs affiliate in Austria), about getting Graz CC affiliated.

The excellently-appointed Universitätssportzentrum Graz played host to the inaugural Graz Indoor Cricket Tournament on 28-29 January 2006, with hosts Graz taking on CC Velden 91, from Carinthia and Vienna CC and Lords CC from the capital. The four teams came together in a bid to start to rekindle interest in indoor cricket in Austria, as well as to present cricket in Graz in a formal way to local sporting authorities, with a healthy turn-out of Graz-based cricket enthusiasts cheering on from the gallery. The tournament was also the first one held away from the capital Vienna.

The Lords CC team-which also included some players from Five Continents CC-had a blend of youth and experience in their side, with some fine performances from Sahil Bharti seeing him being awarded the Bowler of the Tournament award from its original recipient, Tim Simpson (Vienna CC), for his consistent performances with the ball. Lords CC were a step ahead of the competition-their younger players showed considerable talent and speed to the ball, with their sharp fielding performances seeing a number of fine run outs, and some controlled bowling and batting performances.

Vienna Cricket Club used the tournament as preparation for its forthcoming Vienna Cricket Club Wintercup, on 24-26 February, which will be the 20th time the tournament has been held, and Graz CC will be joining them along with Bessborough CC, Elvaston CC, Failand & Portbury CC and Prague CC. Their indigenous opening partnership of Tim Simpson and Erwin Grasinger were once again among the leading performers, with Tim adding a hat trick with the ball to consistent performances with the bat-retiring on all but one occasion. Their lower order frailties, which had beset the team during the outdoor season in 2005 were unfortunately once again exposed, in the chase against Lords CC on the Saturday as well as in the final.

Graz Cricket Club, which was only founded in late 2004, were able to draw upon the experience of some players too from AVL Graz-a newly-formed club which has sprung up in a local company. Currently the clubs play together in a Spielgemeinschaft, but it is hoped that in the long term there will be two separate clubs in Graz. Jan Smith (AVL / Graz CC) was the highest run scorer in the tournament-including a ferocious straight hitting display in scoring 74* against CC Velden 91 in the 3rd-4th place play-off.

CC Velden '91 struggled against their more experienced opposition-although the tournament provided a good re-introduction to indoor cricket for them, and hopefully will see them also playing regularly in Graz indoors as well as adopting indoor cricket as a means for increasing involvement at the club during the winter season and encouraging more people to take up the game for them.