News and Results from Portugal (19 Nov 1999)

19 November 1999

News and Results from Portugal

Peter Eckersley provides some off-season news plus a review of the 1999 Portuguese season:

"The outdoor game in Portugal may have gone into hibernation but the indoor six-a-side version is now even stronger.

November 7 saw the start of our Six-a-Side Indoor League in the Lisbon area with eight teams participating representing towns in & around the capital. The league programme is scheduled to continue through until February culminating in the selection of our national team to compete in the ECC indoor championships in Spain where we shall be defending our title for the second time.

Other news is that at the meeting of the C.A.P. (Associação de Cricket de Portugal) it was decided that next year's national league competition will be split into two divisions with at least two new teams applying to join the league (C.H.P. & Oeiras C.C.).

And now the season's review:

"Portuguese cricket got off to a flying start in 1999 when the national team retained the E.C.C. six-a-side indoor cricket championship played at Mechelen in Belgium in the middle of February. The rules of this competition restrict team selection to those under 27 years of age so it was particularly refreshing for Portugal to be able to send a very young squad with an average age of less than 22. This bodes well for the future and with Nelson Ferreira winning the "Man of the Tournament" award and Paulo Ferreira winning the "Man of the Match" in the final, Portuguese cricket has begun to establish its credentials internationally.

The Portuguese National Cricket League got under way at the end of April and was once again contested by 6 teams: A.C.C. (the champions for the past 4 seasons), Lisbon Casuals, Oporto C<C, Cavaliers C.C., Panthers C.C. and NATO. League matches are played under limited overs conditions with each side allowed a maximum of 30 overs. A bonus point system is operated which awards a point for each odd numbered wicket taken by the bowling side and for every 25 runs scored from 75 upwards plus half a point for every unused over by the side batting second. Additionally, there are 8 points awarded to the winner of each match.

The present shortage of playing facilities in Portugal - particularly in the greater Lisbon are where 5 of the 6 clubs are located & all share a single ground - means some match congestion. Some of the Clubs have regular visiting sides from the U.K. during the season and these fixtures have to be slotted into the tight fixture list alongside League matches. Amongst the visitors to Portugal this year have been Yealm C.C., Ladymeade C.C., Bedford Old Modernians C.C., Brunel University C.C., Young Lions C.C., David Gower's Invitation XI, The Law Society C.C, Lords & Commons C.C. and culminating in the visit of a M.C.C. touring party.

Nonetheless, the League reached it's climax on July 25th when A.C.C. faced up to Lisbon Casuals in what was to be the decider, both Clubs having won all 4 of their previous league matches with Casuals slightly ahead on points at the start of the match. In the event, it was something of an anti-climax as A.C.C. cruised comfortably to their 5th successive League title, winning by 109 runs.

The annual fixture between Oporto & Lisbon for the Kendall Cup was played in Oporto where the current holders, Oporto, despite an indifferent season in the League, outplayed the Lisbon men in all departments and retained the ancient trophy with a 9 wicket victory.

The visit by the M.C.C. party which contained several players with English County 2nd XI and Minor County experience proved to be an ideal opportunity for the Portuguese national team to test themselves against good quality opposition before the E.C.C. Trophy in Corfu. The M.C.C. played 2 matches in Oporto which they won comfortably against an Oporto XI, then 2 matches in Carcavelos against Lisbon XI's which were both drawn and then 2 matches at the Barrington's Club in Vale do Lobo in the Algarve against the National XI in which the Portuguese emerged victorious on both days.

On September 10th the national squad departed to Corfu to participate in the E.C.C. Trophy and having beaten Malta & Sweden in the initial stages, secured a place in the final by beating Switzerland in the semi-final.

The final against the hosts Greece was reduced to a 16-over slog because of inclement weather and the Greeks, having won the toss and electing to bat second, had little difficulty in reaching the 116 run target.

If it was disappointing for the national team to stumble at the last hurdle they can take great heart from the fact that reaching the final assures them of a starting place in next year's E.C.C. Championships in Scotland which is contested by the European countries who are I.C.C. Associates.

The outdoor cricket season ended on a high note with a match played on Sunday 26th September in Carcavelos between the Casuals and a newly formed club sponsored by the Communidade dos Hindus de Portugal. This new club has several highly talented cricketers and a crop of promising youngsters and has already applied to participate in the national league in 2000.

Looking ahead for the year 2000, Portugal will defend it's 6-a-side Indoor Cricket title at the championships in Mijas, Spain in February. It is planned that the outdoor season will get underway in early April when the Spanish national team will make the short journey across the border to Vale do Lobo in the Algarve to contest the Iberian Cup. Undoubtedly, there will be another keenly contested National League competition but, depending on the success of the efforts of cricket administrators in the Lisbon area in obtaining the use of another ground, the League in 2000 may take on a different format from before. In addition to the visiting club sides from England, it has been muted that a triangular competition be held in late April with the national sides from Sweden & Switzerland competing against the Portuguese team.

The 115th Kendall Cup match between Lisbon & Oporto will be played in Lisbon in 2000 when the home side will doubtless be highly motivated to reverse the tables on their old adversary and avenge the humiliating defeat suffered in Oporto in July this year.

The highlight of the 2000 season will, of course, be the national team's involvement in the E.C.C. Championships in Scotland in late July. It is planned that a squad of players from Portugal will go to the U.K. some 2 weeks before the competition begins in order to acclimatise to local conditions, obtain essential match practice and to build up a good team spirit. Cricket in Portugal is on the way up...................... "