Monaco: Cricket's on the move as Grimaldis take their eye off the ball

Cricket - often viewed by the uninitiated as stuffy and pedestrian - played by the residents of Monte Carlo - famous for fast and glamorous lifestyles.

The contrast couldn't be more stark and the supposition more unlikely.

It is happening and on a regular basis as the expatriates of Monaco take time out at least 16 times a year to bring their ecclectic slice of the Commonwealth to the hinterland of the Riviera.

The Monte Carlo Cricket Club with its 25+ strong playing members and around 35 social and overseas members enjoys a steady diet of friendlies with clubs from England, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and of course, France.

In space starved Monaco, the club has found a home in a corner of the Levens Common, 18kms behind Nice. The mountains provide a spectacular backdrop for matches played on a coconut matting strip.

The setting adds to the social nature of home matches, not to mention the ambience of the between innings barbeque.

Although the emphasis is on serious cricket, the 40 over-a-side matches have a social inclination with a more liberal interpretation of the LBW rule and a tendency to give all players who want a bowl the chance.

The move to Levens came after the old stadium in Monte Carlo was demolished to make way for a supermarket, erasing evidence of the club's last interlude with the ruler of Monaco.

It was there that Prince Rainer saw the Monte Carlo Cricket Club in action for the only time. Despite (or because of) his time spent at school in England, the Monarch has been impervious to the charms of our regal game.

Its a connection the Monte Carlo Cricket Club would like to make as it looks to consolidate upon acknowledgment as an official Monegasque sports body and gain recognition both in the minds of the International Cricket Council and the Monacain sporting public.

While a successful Monaco application next year would make it the smallest nation to belong to the world governing body, officials of the Monte Carlo Cricket Club also believe it would give it a status necessary to help promote the game where ignorance of cricket blights its progress.

"There are two main problems, firstly finding teachers who are enthused about it and secondly most schools here don't have the room for a sports field or even a gym," said Monte Carlo CC official, Derek Smith.

Me. Smith said the international schools around Monaco and the Cote d'Azur would initially be targeted as prospective talent pools as they tended to employ teachers of Anglo Saxon background familiar with the game, and place more emphasis on sport and their facilities than the French system, which concentrates on academia.

A potential advisor in Monaco's application next year is Monte Carlo resident, former Australian opening batsman and triple centurion, Bob Cowper. While he prefers to remain in the background, Cowper's knowledge of the ICC workings through his role as a Match Referee may prove useful.

If your club would like to tough it in Monaco and play cricket on the Cote D'Azur, you can email the Monte Carlo Club Secretary, Sophie Braithwaite, sophie@monaco.mc