Cricket in rural France.
Cricket in France is concentrated mainly in the Ile de France area around Paris. This makes the task of establishing the sport in rural areas extremely difficult. The supply of experienced players is restricted to the trickle of expats from the UK & other cricket playing nations, re-locating in France. Steps are in hand to introduce cricket into French schools & our club is taking a leading role in this enterprise. However, this is a long term plan which may take several years to bear fruit. Because of the small number of clubs within easy reach, it is difficult to set up any kind of league structure. Typically, it can involve travel times of up to 3 hours to an away game.

Clubs in the UK can help in several ways:-
1. By spreading the word among their members, who might fancy a game of cricket while holidaying in Brittany &,
2. Arranging a tour with a difference & combining some games of cricket with sampling the delights of the local amenities & cuisine.
3. In addition, it would be great to establish twinning arrangements between French & UK clubs to exchange news & general cricket based chat.

I am writing to you in the hope that you might pass on this message to your member clubs & help us in our efforts to establish cricket as a summer sport in Brittany. The ECB do offer support to France Cricket, but it is insufficient to help the cause of promoting the sport country wide. I will be happy to pass on your comments to other clubs in this part of France.

Finally, Central Brittany C.C. is one of the few clubs who are able to offer a good quality grass wicket that is available from mid-April until October. The club is located in the small village of Silfiac & is within easy reach form the ferry ports of Roscoff & St. Malo.

Best regards,
Don Smith
Fixture Secretary.

email: bridge22530@gmail.com

Website http://cbcricket.net/