European championships

Held every two years. Cyprus are in Div 4.

Next  Div 4 championship

Sat 26th Aug to Weds 30th August 2006 to be held in Belgium.

Winners promoted to Div 3 to play Div 3 championship 2006.

Div 4 contestants

Finland,Slovenia, Luxembourg, Cyprus.

Tournament format

a round robin tournament where each team plays each other once.

Teams

Each team can bring 13 players and two officials.

The two officials cannot play under any circumstances.

The European Cricket rules say that nine players of the eleven in the team, qualify either as Cypriot nationals (either by birth or through naturalisation) or through living in Cyprus for seven years or more. Only two players can qualify by having lived in Cyprus for four years.

Of the squad of 13, ten players will need to be Cypriot or seven year residents and three of four years residency.

This means that there will be more competition for the three places than for the other ten.

Eligibility criteria

Nationals

Copy of passport pages showing nationality

Eligible through Place of birth

Copy of passport showing place of birth

7 year residents (183 days of each year)

printout of time spent from Home office

confirmation from president of clubs

letter from employer or school

copy of passport showing visa / entry stamps

residence permit or other relevant documents

4 year residents

as 7 year residents (need to submit player declaration form.)

Costs

The Belgium Cricket Ass has given a budget of 6800 euros for each team . This will pay for the hotel in Antwerp, breakfast and lunch, all cricket expenses, all travel expenses to and from the airport and to and from the matches, end of tourmanent diner and expenses for  umpires, balls, trophies . It seems you will have to pay for your own evening meal. Air travel to and from Begium is paid by European Cricket.

 If this is divided amoung the fifteen people who are to go to the championships each person will have to find 453 euros ( about 260 pounds Cyprus) This might be less if we can find sponsorship or organise fund raising events, but it would be safer if players expected to have to pay the full 260 pounds.

By April we should have a better idea who will be in the thirteen man squad. At that time they will be asked to put forward a deposit of 50 pounds Cyprus towards their costs. If a player cannot come to the tournament in August then his 50 pounds will be returned. But if a player cannot give his deposit in April then it will be very difficult to believe that he can find 260 pounds by August.

Tournament Match rules

40 overs per side

8 overs per bowler

for first 10 overs only two fielders outside 27.5 metre ring

for first ten ovbers two fielders inside 15 metere ring around batters stump

for remaining overs 4 fielders plus bowler and keeper inside ring

no more than 5 leg side fielders

2hr 40 mins per inning (i.e.4 mins per over)

If the team fielding first fail to bowl the required number of overs in their 2hrs 20mins, play will continue until the required number of overs has been bowled. Then the team fielding first will face only the same number of overs bowled by it before 2hr 20 mins elapsed.. So if the bowling side has only bowled 30 overs after 2hrs 20 mins of play then it will only face 30 overs when their turn comes to bat. The team batting first will always face 35 overs irrespective of the over rate.

If the side fielding second fails to bowl its 35 overs within 2hs 20 mins, it will bowl all its overs, but will be fined for every 4 mins taken beyond the permitted 2hr 20 min permitted time limit.

legside balls called wide

shoulder high bouncers called no ball

waist high full pitched deliveries called no ball

if match not completed and team batting second has completed 14 overs result of game will be decided by over run rate

over run rate

team batting first : runs divided by 35 overs

team batting second : runs divided by overs faced.

Highest over run rate wins

If over run rate the same the side with fewest wickets lost in first 17 overs wins

If game is abandoned then team with best net run rate going into match will be winner

twenty/20 competition

As the Czeck Republic pulled out of the tournament there was an extra playing day to be filled. On that day, Weds 30th, there is going to be a knockout twenty/20 competition in which all four teams will compete. Although this is a friendly competion all the rules of nationality, 4 year residents etc will apply and the team must be picked from the thirteen players brought to the championships.