The first of the new format ECC Introductory Courses was run by Dave Gelling in Vienna, Austria, and attended by 12 local cricketers along with some 20-25 youngsters who took part in the coaching sessions. More… For some time, coaches within Europe will have been aware of a new representative body taking the place of the old Association of Cricket Coaches. Although the ECB Coaches Association takes over officially on 1 January 2002, the new organisation is already up and running. More… On the day that America dropped its first bombs on Afghanistan and embarked on its "biggest-ever man-hunt," 24 coaches assembled in Nottingham to watch (and hear) Barry Fry give his players a right roasting at half-time. More… Six coaches from Northern Cricket Union of Ireland recently returned from a two week visit to Cape Town. The trip was sponsored by the British Council Youth Awards scheme. More… A very enthusiastic group met for a discussion on one-day cricket at the Lord Hotel, Helsinki on 1 March. Stuart Barnes had prepared a lively discussion and divided the group into three smaller groups to look at batting, bowling and fielding at various stages of a one-day game. More… With its small population, Luxembourg does not feature as a major sporting power in Europe, and certainly not at cricket. More… There's plenty of development work going on it the Scottish regions. Andy Tennant, West Development Officer, will be running the Glasgow Inter-Cricket Superleague 2002 on a weekly basis from 20 March at The Kelvin Hall. More… We hear a lot about players nearing the end of their careers wanting to put something back into the game by taking up coaching, umpiring, scoring or one of the other activities without which the game cannot flourish. More… European Development Officer Adam Cole travelled to Athens to run an introductory coaching course at the University on Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 January. He was joined by ECB Level II Coach Costas Vasilas. More… The weekend of 26-27 January provided an opportunity for the Belgian indoor squad to get together and play a number of matches against a travelling French team in preparation for the forthcoming European Indoor Championships. More… Drizzling rain couldn't dampen the spirits of some adventurous souls in Oporto. A dozen sporting enthusiasts - a healthy mix of indigenous Portuguese and British expatriates - from the Portuguese city threw themselves into a two-day introductory coaching course based at the British school. More… Over the weekend of 26-28 April 2002 Dave Gelling ran a Level I coaching course in Vienna. A total of 17 coaches attended during a busy but enjoyable evening and two full days. More… Stuart Barnes first ever trip to Tampere, Finland, and meeting with Regional Development Officer Ryland Gibbs-Harris, proved to be very productive More… A hard-working group of twelve tackled an ECB Level II course run by EDP coach Richard Skyrme in Tegernsee, a beautiful town one hour from Munich. A very large sports hall, easily split into three sections, made Tegernsee an excellent venue, and an outside Astroturf area was also used at times due to some excellent sunny weather. More… Belgium had an excellent coaching weekend with Tim Dellor. Tim was very good with the 75 youngsters who took part, and had them working incredibly hard - particularly a largish U16 group who found themselves doing press-ups if they dropped a catch, etc More… ECC Coach Tim Dellor was in Paris at the end of March to develop the coaching skills of eighteen French cricketers. The three-day course attracted players from a variety of backgrounds but all with good cricketing ability. More… The European Joint Research Centre in Ispra (40 minutes from Milan) provided the venue for the 5th coaching trip to Italy by ECC Coach Richard O'Sullivan. More… Portugal's victory over Austria in the final of last season's ECC Trophy in Vienna saw both Affiliates qualify for the forthcoming European Championships in Belfast. More… A 3-month cycle for cricket has been agreed by the town hall in Saint Astier, France, as a pilot which could be rolled out to the whole of the Dordogne if it proves to be a success with children and teachers. More… Swiss Cricket is on the up, especially if Andy Roost has anything to do with it. Andy is the recently appointed International Match Manager, and is trying desperately hard to improve the playing, coaching and administration standards of the Swiss national team. More… During a visit by the European Development Manager to Gibraltar (5-6 Dec) Phil Hudson (GCA Youth Development Officer) was recruited to join the recently formed RCPI squad of coaches working throughout Europe. More… A slightly earlier-than-scheduled visit to Austria enabled me to assist Siva Nadarajah and Pascal Cyniburk with an exciting introduction to cricket for over 200 youngsters at the school within six-hitting distance of the new Concordia Ground. After a brief video clip to give the children their first look at cricket, an active session was held in the sports hall to give them an opportunity to practise some basic skills. More… After sampling the famous Irish hospitality with the Northern Ireland Cricket Association officials and coaches it was down to business with the U15 squad the next day, at the very well equipped Queens university complex. More… Roland Butcher recently spent a successful weekend in Denmark, assisting with the Danish Fast Track Programme. The weekend kicked off on Friday 29 November, with an afternoon session for four U19 players at Svanholm Park, followed by an evening session for three young players who are going to South Africa on an Academy scholarship in January. On the Saturday, Ole Mortensen and Peter Paller Klokker joined Roland to coach the National Team at Idraetten Hus. More… Ole 'Stan' Mortensen travelled to Norway on 22-24 November as part of the new Regional Coach Placement Initiative, to conduct coaching sessions at an indoor centre in Oslo. More… On 27 November the European Development Officer, Adam Cole, flew to Belgium to inspect grounds and see Belgium's exciting new `Happy Cricket' initiative in action. More… Cricket is changing in Luxembourg. The delightful ground in its riverside setting is assuming the status of a national cricket centre with a brand new four-bay net facility as well as a plan for a new mat on the refurbished match pitch. More… During October the KNCB held two very successful Level I coaching courses at the Academy of Physical Education in The Hague. Dave Gelling had all candidates enthralled for two days with his knowledge and enthusiasm. More…