Cricket is a bat and ball game played with two teams each of 11 members. The game is most popular in Australasia, England, the Indian subcontinent, the West Indies and Southern Africa. The Netherlands also has a national team that has recently participated in international championship of Twenty20. The Dutch team created history in their match against Ireland, achieving a run rate of 13.95 per over – an unprecedented score in any format of cricket.
BBC
Diederik Neeb, chairman of the Mixed Cricket Club in Hengelo suggested that the unpopularity of the game among the norms in the eastern part of the Netherlands has some historic reasons. In western Netherlands, people were exposed to the English media such as BBC where they could learn about cricket, whereas in eastern Netherlands, the main exposure was to German media, which hardly gives any attention to cricket.
University of Twente members
Players in Mixed Cricket Club in Hengelo are not paid professionals but rather amateurs who love the game and enjoy playing it. There are many members of University of Twente community who play for the Hengelo cricket club, most of which are internationals; from India, Pakistan and other countries where the game is popular. The cricket club is currently seeking more exposure to the public in order to attract any potential cricket players to their teams.
Friendly
To the moment, there exists no professional league for cricket in the Netherlands; however there are lots of cricket clubs that participate in a friendly tournament. Mixed Cricket Club in Hangelo is participating in the next season with two teams rather than one as in the last season. Diederik clarified that they will try to prepare both teams such that they are equal in strength and opportunity. The tournament schedule can be found on the club’s website.
http://www.crickethengelo.com/
