The Saumur Strays Cricket Club is a British team with its roots in France. The team meets just once a year in unusual or foreign locations not normally associated with cricket. A few months ago, team member Phil Batson learnt of the formation of the Sir William Hoste cricket club on Vis and contacted its captain, Oliver Roki. The Croatian team had said their dearest wish was to play against a British team, and with the help of the British Embassy in Zagreb, the Strays pulled out all the stops to make the match happen. On a tour they arranged themselves, with just one day available, they took an overnight train and a dawn ferry to reach the island, arriving at midday on 20 June.

A two-hour coaching session conducted by the touring side for local children was first on the agenda, followed by a twenty over match between the Strays and the Sir William Hoste CC, in which the Strays came out on top. The teams were then mixed up for a second game, ensuring a tough, competitive match for all spectators present. The turnout and enthusiasm was tremendous, and national TV was present to witness the island's first touring team. Stray's captain Krishna Lester and Vis captain Oliver Roki were interviewed, with the footage beamed out all over Croatia. After some exceptional hospitality the Strays left for the Croatian capital on Saturday to run a second coaching session and to take on Zagreb CC on the Sunday. The tourists again won a good match.

To mark their visit, the British team presented a scorebook to their hosts, and the British Embassy, who had done everything possible to get the Flicx pitch provided by the EDP through customs, donated a set of cricket balls. Phil Batson said the tour had been `an outstanding success, enabling Croats and Brits to play cricket again on the island of Vis for the first time in almost two centuries. We were able to coach youngsters in Vis and Zagreb in the basics of cricket; and in the process we generated considerable positive press and TV coverage (we were the lead story on the national evening news!) for the UK in Croatia. One player in Vis described it as the happiest day of his life.'