Richard O'Sullivan Photo © ECC

On the way to his 5th visit to Catania in Sicily, ECC Coach Richard O'Sullivan paid a flying visit to Grosseto, just under a two hour drive north of Rome, to visit the venue of the inaugural ECC U13 2nd Division Tournament, to be held 25ñ29 August.

Richard and his chauffeur for the day, FCI President Simone Gambino, gave the ground and accommodation the once over, and met key organisers representing both the FCI and the Grosseto club itself. Richard, who will be Tournament Referee for this competition, said "Grosseto is an excellent venue for the August tournament and, with a great deal of the preparation already complete, I am confident the tournament will be very successful."

The next morning saw the start of a weeklong visit in Catania, the main objective of which was to assist and advise the Sicilian schools development team, Francesca and Tiziana, on the scheme they have established in two junior and three secondary schools. Richard, Francesca and Tiziana ran sessions jointly in the schools for five hours every morning and, over the course of the week, cricket reached an astonishing 655 young Sicilian boys and girls aged 7-18. The results were immediate, with a number of youngsters joining the after-school sessions offered by the clubs.

As well as offering further assistance in the afternoon sessions to adults and juniors alike, Richard was able to help organise and umpire the first ever indoor cricket match in Sicily. The frenetic, exciting formula proved very enjoyable and is seen by the Sicilians as perhaps the next stepping-stone for players aged 13-18 who gain an interest in cricket via the schools program.

Richard would like to thank all the Sicilians for their enthusiasm and commitment to cricket and for again helping him indulge his passion for eating things that look inedible but taste fantastic!