Austria, continental Europe's cricket mecca?

Nestling in vineyards on the outskirts of Vienna, the tiny village of Seebarn is an unlikely place to host a cricket tournament -- especially one involving Finland and Croatia.

But when Austria played Portugal in the final of the European Cricket Council (ECC) Trophy, Seebarn's perfectly rolled pitches and white perimeter fences looked like a picture postcard of rural England.

Only the tea stall menu gave the game away -- instead of Earl Grey tea and scones, the sun-baked cricketers from Europe's emerging cricketing nations were offered the traditional Austrian refreshments of beer, sausage and apple strudel.

Despite its reputation for skiing and snowboarding Austria is blazing the trail for cricket in Europe, Ian Stuart, European Development Manager for the International Cricket Council (ICC), said.

"Austria is the centre of European cricket and is proving to be a model for the other countries to draw on," Stuart said.

Since 1992, the ICC has run a worldwide development programme to encourage players from traditionally non-cricketing nations to compete on a national level and has awarded affiliate membership to countries with a recent cricketing history.

"Our focus is on encouraging indigenous growth and youth growth," Stuart said, adding expatriate players were a minority.

"There are many second generation Asian immigrants in these countries whose talents, if channelled positively, are good news for raising standards across Europe."

PORTUGUESE WIN

Portugal battled through last week's tournament to win the trophy and a place in the European Championship against more established cricketing nations in Belfast next year.

For Portugal's team - who won the competition in 1995 - playing against other European teams, including Malta, Greece, Finland, Croatia, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland, made a change from national league matches.

"In Portugal we now have eight teams playing and three grounds," captain Akbar Saiyad said. "And the quality of cricket is improving every year."

"But it is completely different here," he added. "They play on matting, there are always four good bowlers in each team and because we play 25 overs you cannot just wait for a chance -- you have to keep your focus on the game."

Saiyad said the team was looking forward to their trip to Belfast as it was a chance for the relatively young side to play at a higher level.

And for Saiyad, who has been playing cricket since the age of six, it will be a great tonic.

"Most of the players are between 24 and 34. I am 53 but playing with these guys makes me feel 35."

GROWING POPULARITY

The decision to host the tournament in Seebarn is a sign of the growing interest in cricket in Austria, national team captain Andrew Simpson-Parker told Reuters.

"It is getting more popular all the time," Simpson-Parker said after the final. "It's getting bigger with each competition and we have some very good young players coming through now."

With 12 clubs across the country and two grounds, the Austrian league has around 130 matches a season and a growing network of home-grown umpires, groundkeepers and fans.

One local convert, umpire Helmut Zikuda, said Seebarn's role as home of the national team had captured the villagers' imagination.

"Everyone in Seebarn wants to help," Zikuda said. "It's like one huge family -- you even see kids in the village wearing cricket sweaters." But not all the village's residents have grasped this notoriously complicated sport.

"I once met this Austrian girl and she said to me 'I thought you had to have a horse to play cricket'," Zikuda said. "I had to explain to her that she was thinking of polo."

Mail Cricket Editor