First ever Argentina-Chile u/15 tour takes place in Santiago

Argentina sent a junior cricket team to Chile for the first time ever last month. The under-15 Argentines played their Chilean peers in three limited-over games in Santiago.

This might seem like small potatoes at first, but make no mistake; this was an historic occasion in the development of cricket this side of the Andes. Even a couple of years ago, Argentine cricket authorities would have laughed at the idea of sending a junior team to Chile. This tour shows how far Chile has progressed as a true cricketing nation, thanks to the commitment of a handful of locals who have coached youngsters and prepared new wickets, such as Tim Messner, Bruce Phillips, Blair Douglas and Stuart Nelson, and the dedication of the young brigade, who are the future of cricket here.

The first match was played at the Craighouse ground, on Tuesday 15th. Chile' s captain Juan Pablo Fassnidge elected to field first. The decision immediately paid dividends when vice-captain Luke Phillips blasted out two wickets, followed by spinner Max Ananias, who also took two. But the star of the match was wicket-keeper and spin bowler Philip Marriott, who bagged six wickets, destroying the Argentine lower order for a total of 125. But in reply, Chile fell 20 runs short of the target, despite Phillips' innings which included three sixes.

The second match was played at The Grange, on a very overcast day, inducing prodigous swing conditions which the young Argentines took advantage of. This time, Argentina won the toss and sent Chile in. Opening batsman Rupert Turner lasted the whole 25 overs to give 11 runs to his team, showing an intelligent and selective batting. But Chile could only muster 76, which Argentina knocked off without fuss.

On Friday at the Prince of Wales Country Club the last 30-over match was played. Once again, Chile won the toss and fielded, doing well to restrict the strong Argentine line-up to 150 on a true pitch and a small ground. For Chile, Phillips, Ananias, Thomas Dawes and Sebastian Parr shared the wickets, but a few dropped catches let the Argies off the hook slightly. This time, Chile changed the batting order to allow players who had not had a chance in the earlier games some time in the middle. Chile ended up posting 115 with some contributions down the order.

Despite the 3-0 scoreline the Chilean players did themselves proud, both in their collective efforts and the way they conducted themselves. The Argentines too proved good ambassadors for their country and the game. Argentina has a solid cricketing infrastructure and these lads have some three years experience of the sport, while most of the Chileans had 3 months' training.