Danes secure title

Denmark claimed the 2008 ICC European Indoor Championship with a thrilling two-wicket win from the penultimate delivery of their match against Portugal.

The Danes overhauled Portugal’s total of 132 with Hamid Shah making an unbeaten 28 as he shared a match-winning partnership with Taha Ahmed (25 not out), after they were precariously placed at 65 for 3.

For Paulo Buccimazza, the captain of Portugal, there was the consolation of being awarded the player-of-the-tournament accolade.

He finished as the leading run-scorer in the competition and showed his quality in the final by making an unbeaten 38.

Denmark went through the whole eight-game competition unbeaten and captain Finn Kleissl marshalled his squad superbly, with their disciplined bowling, backed up by athletic fielding, being a powerful combination which ensured their deserved success.

The host nation Finland finished third, in their debut as a host nation, and in wicketkeeper Jonathan Scamans they had one of the star performers in the event.

Belgium will be pleased by their fourth place and in Jamie Farmiloe and Simon Newport had two players who shone, plus they could boast the biggest margin of victory in the games – 117 runs over Hellas (Greece).

France improved considerably as the competition progressed and thanks to wins over Hellas and Luxembourg, clinched the fifth position with their main performer being the talented Arun Ayyavooraju.

They came dramatically close to recording the highest ever European Indoor score when they totalled 158 for one – just one short of the 159 made by Hellas in 2002.

Luxembourg steadily improved as the competition went on, and they will have been delighted at the recognition for their sporting behaviour by the winning of the ‘Spirit of Cricket Award’.

Skipper William Heath was just pipped for the player of the tournament, but he did record the highest individual score over the three days with an undefeated 41.

Hellas finished seventh but there were moments of encouragement for their very young and inexperienced team.

Their main contributor was Spyridon-Marios Kavvadias, who turned in some determined all-round performances.

ICC Europe regional development manager Richard Holdsworth said: “It’s been an amazing few days of cricket, finished off with a nail-biting final.

“The facilities here have been exemplary with two pitches playing superbly. The players have all learnt a lot and improved as a result. This is what it’s all about – it’s primarily a development tournament.

“This is by far the youngest group of players we’ve had in the ten years, and that’s encouraging, as it means that there are better, younger players being put forward by their associations.

“I am also thrilled by the fantastic web coverage which has resulted in over 50,000 visitors to our website over the weekend - a great promotion for the game in Europe.”

European chairman Roger Knight OBE added: “I think indoor cricket is a marvellous way of promoting the game particularly in some countries where they struggle with pitches and they haven’t got a cricketing culture.

“It helps with the basics of cricket – bowling straight, finding the gaps when batting, and running quickly between the wickets.

“All the teams have played good cricket, and it’s been a pleasure to watch so many young teams in action.

“This is what European cricket is all about, and it’s a great experience for them to meet people from other countries and learn from them.”

Special praise went to the superb hosting of the event by the Finnish Cricket Association, where the facilities in the wonderful setting of Kuortane were nothing short of magnificent.

The final tribute went to organiser Andrew Armitage who in conjunction with his staff ensured that the event ran smoothly.

Further information on the tournament including scorecards, match reports, photos and audio interviews can be found on ICC Europe.