Latvian Cricket Club had been looking to re-start indoor
games and when the club learned about the ‘MCC Spirit of
Cricket Weekend’ from the ECC’s website, they decided to
celebrate this event in order to raise awareness of the game
and introduce it to a wider community.
The event coincided with the 1st May celebrations as Latvia
joined the EU. The indoor event at Zelta Indoor Complex was a
success not only because of the participation and immense
interest of young cricketers from the International School of
Riga and other local schools but also their parents &
teachers. After handing over an introductory text about
cricket to each of the participants the event started with a
short lecture/seminar by Sumit Chakravarty of LCC to the
children explaining to them the basics of the game. It was
then followed by the Kwik Cricket video which was watched with
great interest by the kids. Soon after the video, a short
session of questions and answers followed. Later on, the kids
were equally divided into 2 teams of equal strength and a game
of 10 overs was played between them. Latvian Cricket Club
members were there to help with bowling, batting and fielding
in the correct way. The winning team was awarded the Kwik
Cricket video, kit and teaching cricket manuals and posters
were distributed to the other team. After the game,
refreshments were offered to the participants and an
invitation was accepted by the club to visit their schools for
a demonstration of the game at a later date.
The outdoor event that was supposed to be held on the 2nd of
May was rescheduled. Unfortunately, it had to be rescheduled to
the 8th of May as it was raining & VEF stadium wasn’t ready on
that day. This untimely delay though luckily gave the club a
chance to mobilize themselves & organize a mini tournament among
4 teams of expatriates from the subcontinent. They were:
Latvian Cricket Club, Pakistani XI, Sri Lanka A and Sri Lanka B.
The final was a Sri Lankan derby as the two teams have met
before and know each other’s game. Sri Lanka A won the toss and
batted first scoring 92 runs in 12 overs. Their opponents gave a
hard time in the middle but were eventually bowled out for just
4 short of the target. Sri Lanka A deservedly won the final game
and got the applause of the cricket fans who gathered to cheer
the winning team. After the final, all teams had refreshments
and a positive chat and it is hoped that in future such events
will take place on a regular basis.
This is the first time cricket in Latvia has seen such a
boom and interest in recent times. We are now preparing for the
game on the 5th of June with a visiting side from the UK. With
the support of ECC, Latvian Cricket Club will do what it takes
to make another successful event and get one step closer towards
our objective of making cricket a popular sport here in Latvia
and the Baltics.
