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Bill Shankly famously claimed, "Football is not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that". A humorous sentiment maybe, but just how important is sport? The communist regimes of the 1970's poured millions of pounds into sport, convinced success would justify a whole political system. Adolf Hitler used the Berlin Olympics in 1936 as part of his campaign for European supremacy. Even as far back as Victorian times the ruling classes used sport as a means of controlling the masses. Sport and politics have always been inextricably linked.

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Sport took on new meaning in Kosovo this weekend. Could cricket possibly play a role in the peacekeeping effort? Ravaged by war in 1999, the Serb and Albanian communities haven't lived comfortably alongside each other since. The aftermath of Europe's arguably most heated conflict since the Second World War remains all too evident. There are Serb buildings smashed to rubble thanks to well-aimed NATO missiles, isolated acts of terrorism involving grenades are all too common, and a vast UN humanitarian effort is underway.

The plan to get Serbs and Albanians playing a game they had never previously heard of seemed ambitious, to say the least. ICC European Development Programme coach Tim Dellor and Communication and Resources Officer Alison Smith took up the challenge.

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Living conditions in the country make everything in Kosovo a challenge. Just getting to the ground involved a bone-shaking ride in a military convoy along pothole-ridden roads. Driving standards and road safety in the country beggar belief. Coaches, equipment and children arrived safely for the weekend's events nonetheless.

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The cricket project kicked off on the Friday afternoon, with a dozen keen cricketers from the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (also known as the Tigers) and three volunteers from the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) taking part in a coach education session run by Tim. Having seen off a flock of geese and a couple of stray dogs which had taken up residence on the football field at Devet Jugovica (otherwise known as Zulu 45), Tim put the would-be coaches through their paces, explaining how to structure sessions for youngsters and giving advice on how to maximise participation and keep levels of enthusiasm high. The ominous looking black clouds overhead, the sound of automatic gunfire nearby, and the proximity of a disposal pit for unexploded ordnance did little to dampen spirits, and at the end of the session, the Tigers were looking forward to putting Tim's advice into practice with the youngsters the following day.

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Coaches and film crew arrived back at Z45 on Saturday morning to find that the ever-present grey skies had not deterred around 100 Albanian and Serbian youngsters, who were already warming up on the field under the guidance of some of the previous day's coaches and a number of youth group leaders. More arrived on army trucks during the morning, including 20 disabled children who had been brought down as part of the VVAF's `Sport for Life' programme, swelling numbers to around 200 until the field was packed with groups engaged in fielding and batting exercises. By the end of the day, most were showing a good understanding of the game and several were hitting huge shots which were raining down across the field accompanied by shouts of "Incoming!!!" from the KFOR personnel.

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The skies finally cleared for the big match between the Tigers and Indian personnel from UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) at the Kosovo national stadium in Pristina. Most of the youngsters at the previous day's session had been brought to Devet Jugovica in army trucks, and as those wanting to attend Sunday's match would have to make their own way there, a high turnout was not expected. Everyone involved was delighted, therefore, when in excess of 100 youngsters arrived at the stadium for a second day of cricket. The assembled throng divided themselves up for some games of Kwik Cricket on the outfield, while a roller was dragged out into the middle of the pitch, which had been churned up in places by the first match of the 2002/3 Kosovo football league the previous afternoon, and some rubber matting was laid in an attempt to create a playable surface.

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The 15-over match was dominated by the Tigers, current Army and Infantry cricket champions, with Private Scott, who has been offered a year's trial at Sussex, looking particularly impressive at the crease as he accumulated 53 of the Tigers 95 runs. The youngsters watched from the stands and dutifully cheered for both England and India, as a running commentary and explanation from event organiser Lt Gareth Megaw was translated and broadcast through a loudhailer more commonly used for riot control. A break between innings gave them a chance to get back onto the field for a bit more practice, but prising the equipment away from them at the end of the day still represented a major challenge, so keen were they to carry on playing.

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The VVAF and a local scout troupe who had turned out in numbers on the Saturday and Sunday both took Kwik Cricket sets away with them, and four more were left with the Tigers, who were keen to set up more matches to which the youngsters could be invited for further coaching. The Kwik Cricket sets will be joined by a portable Flicx pitch, sponsored by the development programme and a number of European cricketing nations who raised funds for the project on European Spirit of Cricket Weekend in May.

The British KFOR troops went beyond the call of duty in their commitment to the cause. The EDP staff and a film crew were all housed at the aptly named Jubilee Barracks. They were even made to feel welcome on early morning runs and battle drills. Surrounded by sentry posts and high barbed wire fences, the camp was home to three hundred of the Tigers. How the Royal Logistics Corps provides such appetising meals remains a mystery. A combination of helicopters, night time military drills and even a dreadful karaoke ensured sleep was interrupted throughout.

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This was more than your average cricket coaching trip. It proved to be a unique opportunity to bring cricket to a corner of Europe desperately seeking organised sports coaching. You could sell tiddlywinks as a thriving sport, such is the hunger. For now, though, cricket will fill the void, and hopefully help communities whose local derby over the past three years has been rather more important than Mr Shankly's kick-abouts.