Cricket in France - Richie Benaud reveals positive developments for 2000

Close links with two English counties will be a feature of France Cricket's confident surge into the 21st century.

Sussex and Kent respectively have joined with France Cricket in two contrasting ventures, the first with Sussex an Olympic Centenary cricket match at Hastings on August 20, the match France against Old England.

It is being staged to commemorate the occasion when an English team, the Devon County Wanderers defeated All Paris for the Gold Medal at the 1900 Olympic Games four years after the Athens Games began the tradition. Sussex CCC have always shown imagination and innovation in their cricket and their assistance in thestaging of this match is much appreciated by France Cricket.

Kent CCC, always at the forefront of encouraging youth in the game, have organised for two young French girls, Cindy Paquin a leg spin bowler of Chauny and Jerina Hardy of Chateau de Thoiry, to join their Under-17 Kent Ladies squad; both are promising young cricketers.

Further afield, 4000 cricketers in New Caledonia, more than half of them women, have signed up as licence holders within the FFBSC. In New Caledonia, the game they play is known as 'Cricket Traditionnel'.

Closer to Europe, France will be breaking new ground as the first non-English country to be invited when the Isle of Wight Festival is staged this year. It will be an exciting time for French youngsters and as part of the tour there will be a ground-breaking initiative from France Cricket involving young cricketers and Laws of the Game.

This Festival will see the official launch of the France 'Cadets' side; in the main they will be under 16s, but there will also be an opportunity for selection for up three Under 17s.

As well, there will be what I consider to be one of the most thoughtful administration actions I have known, in that highly respected English umpire Don Oslear will join the touring team as their official umpire and at the close of every day's play, either at the ground, or in the team room at the hotel, he will discuss with the youngsters the day's play and the appropriate references to the Laws of the Game. I was the same age as these young cricketers when I went on my first ever tour with the NSW Colts from Sydney to Forbes, Dubbo and Wellington in NSW, and it was the thrill of my life. I hope these young cricketers enjoy it as much as I did and, as well, learn more about a love of the game and knowledge of the Laws.

There is a comprehensive and busy programme ahead for France Cricket and all the clubs this summer, the first matches for France will be against Switzerland in Geneva where two one-day internationals will be played (May 21-22) and then the National Youth Trials will be held at Chauny June 3-4. I went to Chauny late in 1999 and watched the squads in action, it was great to see how keen they are and the skills they show.

Chauny also hosted the first squad session of this summer (April 29 to May 1) and the Regional Youth Trials for Under 12s and Under 17s were held a week later.

And, one of the more exciting aspects of this season comes because of the link with Kent CCC when the French Under 12 squad will take part in the Kent Kwik Cricket Schools Festival at the delightful Canterbury ground. It all sounds great to me!