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His Royal Highness Tunku Imran of Malaysia, Chairman of the Board of ICC Associates, and Matthew Kennedy, ICC Global Development Manager, left Antwerp late this morning after a two-and-a half-day inspection tour of Belgian cricket.
The visit followed Belgium’s application to become an Associate country together with five other nations - Japan, Thailand, Botswana, Kuwait and Belize – and attracted significant media attention from the press, television and radio.
During their visit, Tunku Imran and Matthew Kennedy met the Flanders Minister of Sport, Bert Anciaux, and were received at the Mechelen Town Hall by Bart Somers, Mayor of Mechelen and Chairman of the federal government’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, together with Koen Anciaux, Alderman for Sport.
Both meetings were particularly fruitful, with the Minister discussing steps towards cricket becoming a member of the Flemish sports organization BLOSO and putting forward a number of infrastructural and planning suggestions.

Matthew Kennedy, Ashit Mehta and HRH Tunku Imran

Sponsors’ meeting

On the final evening, the ICC inspectors attended a dinner at the home of Ashit Mehta, head of the Arjav diamond company, where they met a number of sponsors and were able to discuss concrete and long-term plans for the development of cricket in Belgium along with the possibility of acquiring additional external support for a 10-year plan from a new potential sponsor.

The delegation inspected six of the country’s nine grounds, visiting facilities at Antwerp CC in Rumst, Antwerp Indians in Wilrijk, Mechelen CC in Hombeek, Mechelen Eagles at Vrijbroek Park, Royal Brussels at Ohain and 12 Stars CC at the British School of Brussels in Tervuren.

Coaching course

They also saw a large junior coaching session at Wilrijk where the children’s television news programme “Karrewiet” was filming a three-minute item about cricket for screening on the Monday.

Jamie Farmiloe being interviewed for Karrewiet

Another stop was at the British School of Brussels’ indoor nets facility, where Roland Lefebvre, former Dutch national captain, and two colleagues from the Netherlands were running a one-day introductory coaching course.

ICC Introductory course at BSB

Tunku Imran and Matthew Kennedy were also able to quiz members of the Cricket Belgium’s about the state of the game in Belgium during a four-hour presentation on the Saturday afternoon.
The presentation began with a brief run-down of how the country operates politically on the national and regional levels (an almost unique system, particularly relating to sports structure) and this was followed by a short summary of the 190-year history of the sport in the country.

School visit

Longer presentations on the state of the game in Belgium and the way ahead in development were followed up by a bullet-point argument of why Belgium has a case for Associate membership.

Before heading for the airport on the Monday morning, the delegation had time to stop at the OLVE School in Antwerp to see the gym master teaching cricket to primary school students.

Cricket Belgium was delighted to host both Tunku Imran and Matthew Kennedy, who not only carried out their inspection role with a huge helping of friendliness and humour but also gave the federation the benefit of their experience by making a number of extremely valuable suggestions.
In fact, preliminary work to implement one of those has already started and thought is being given to several more.