Cricket gets its first Estonian club (21 Jun 1999)

21 June 1999

Cricket gets its first Estonian club

Two-and-a-half years ago Kristian Garancis, the chairman and a prime mover in the formation of the Estonian Cricket Club, knew nothing about cricket.

All of that changed during one of Kristian's five visits to Australia through friends who were watching Australia do battle with the West Indies on Boxing Day in 1996.

After explanation from his Aussie mates about this strange game, Kristian's curiosity led him to bring home two sets of wickets, two bats and a couple of softballs to his native Tallinn.

Initially, there were scratch matches with his mates on the beach and a grass paddock outside Tallinn. However, the momentum towards some sort of structure increased when Kristian met Anil, the proprietor of a local Indian restaurant in February this year at Estonia's only Aussie-style pub, "The Lost Continent". Anil Anil told him there were others in Tallinn wanting to play cricket.

Subsequently, the inaugural general meeting of the Estonian Cricket Club was held in mid-March. The number of people turning up on Sundays has steadily increased to the point where there are around 20 members, comprising four Estonians, as well as eight Indians, plus Englishmen, Scots and even an American.

Like any area new to cricket, access to a suitable ground is an irritation. Presently the club is using a sports field owned by a local technical university. With no prepared square, the club is investing in matting to make the bounce more even. The Estonian C.C. received a boost with the donation of a kit from the European Cricket Council's Development Officer, Nigel Laughton.

The club was due to make its competitive debut in this weekend's (June 19 & 20) Helsinki Sixes but could not make it due to lack of time to organise the trip.

Says club official, Adrian Barrett, the Estonian Cricket Club is keen to entertain visiting teams: "We welcome any side who wants a game.......Tallinn is a great summer city..a wonderful location for a visit..bachelors would love the night life and the Old City is just spectacular for families. It is a safe place...and compared to the rest of Europe very good value for money."