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Indoor Report
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" Sometimes good intentions work against you."
The BCF decided to send its young Indoor squad to Lords by car to help save on transport costs for the ECC.
A very early departure at 05.45hrs from Antwerp on Friday 10th February culminated in a long tiring journey to Lords via Calais.
Arriving at Lords at about 11.15am, the squad immediately had to begin practice.
Everyone was extremely tired and it showed during Belgium's three Friday matches where there was no excitement or adrenaline present in their performances.
The results may not have been different but a fresher squad may have put up a better fight.
The losses to Denmark, France and Hellas meant a poor start to the tournament.
Fortunately for Belgium, their first match on the Saturday was at 12 noon so the team were able to lie in and relax.
Portugal beat Belgium in their first match but we all felt that it was a match that we could have won.
A team meeting afterwards seemed to do the trick.
A noisier and more animated performance against Finland paved the way to an unbeaten run to the end of the tournament.
Wins against Luxembourg (twice), Holland and another against Finland saw Belgium end up in 5th place.
A couple of more batting points in the first four games would have seen them pip Hellas for a place in the semi-finals.
However, finishing 5th was a great credit to such a young side.
Special mention must go to Shalin Shah (4 matches) and particularly Nipun Nahata (1 game) who both played fewer games than the rest.
Sitting out in a lot of matches is not easy but to their credit, they took the coach's decisions well.
They still played a major part in the confidence and camaraderie of the squad.
Many thanks must go to Marc Vandereviere who looked after the team superbly and to Jeremy McKenna who scored in most of the matches.
On a personal note, I was very proud of the squad with how they played their matches in true Spirit of Cricket style and their excellent behaviour throughout the weekend.
They are all a credit to Belgian cricket and I can see them all representing Belgium in the future at Senior level.
In conclusion, our thanks must got to Richard Holdsworth and his organising team, especially Louise Kent, for a perfectly run tournament.
We also congratulate Denmark on winning the tournament. They were, by far, the best team.
Indoor squad
Nirvam Shah (Captain)
Nadeem Khan
Simon Newport
Omair Diwan Ali
Sohail Hussain
Jamie Farmiloe
Shalin Shah
Nipun Nahata
report by : Ken Farmiloe
© Belgian Cricket Federation
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