Stephen Wordsworth

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Wednesday 10 June, 2009

Today I will host a blog entry written by Alex Ingram, Third Secretary of the British Embassy in Belgrade.

On Friday, June 5, 2009 , three of our Embassy staff members - who have supported the local Belgrade Cricket Association since its start - took part in possibly the first ever cricket match in Serbia (does anyone out there know better?), in the village of Karlovcic, 30 kilometers west of Belgrade. The Belgrade side fielded a mainly Serbian team, with support from British, Indian and Pakistani players. They faced a touring side from North Wales, 'Carmel & District Cricket Club'. The Welsh club had played, or were due to play, sides in Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Macedonia during their tour of South East Europe.

The locals had done a good job with the pitch, and the visiting team were given a fantastic welcome - even down to the enthusiastic autograph-hunters! Also, the weather had taken a turn for the better, and instead of the torrential rain of the previous week, we were lucky enough to have a perfect day for cricket.

The UK team batted first, and managed to score 172 runs. This left an attainable target for the Belgrade side to aim for. After lunch they went into bat, and managed to put together a respectable 107 all out. This 65-run loss was by no means a failure, and it was testament to the work the Belgrade team had put in before the game that they had put up such a good fight against the more experienced team.

As well as being an important day for the Belgrade Cricket Association, it was also a very enjoyable day out. There were opportunities to enjoy some Serbian hospitality (rakija included!), and hopefully a few people were inspired to pick up a bat themselves. The Belgrade Cricket Association have made great progress so far, and have big plans for the future. Have a look at their website for more information on the BCA, and the game of cricket itself, and for contact details. The BCC are happy to answer any questions, and always keen to welcome new players to the weekly training sessions. It's informal and fun, and as demonstrated here, there is clearly potential for those who wish to take it further.