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Cricketers from one of the sport’s most famous clubs have touched down in Bahrain for a mini-series of matches in the kingdom.
A squad of 13 players from Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), led by former Queensland batsman Clinton Perren, also includes Warwickshire’s Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Derbyshire’s Shiv Thakor.
They will take on a Bahrain U25 side in a 40 overs fixture today, compete in a T20 Triangular Tournament on Friday before taking on an Awali X1, in another 40-overs fixture, on Saturday.
John Stephenson, head of cricket at the MCC, said: “We have selected a very talented group of players, all of whom I’m sure will prove to be excellent ambassadors for the club and the ‘spirit of cricket’.”
MCC is the world’s most active cricket club, the owner of Lord’s Ground in London and the guardian of the laws and spirit of the game. Founded in 1787, it issued the first code of Laws in 1788 and moved to its current home in 1814. There are 18,000 full and 5,000 associate members of MCC.
As part of its active playing programme, which involves its teams playing around 500 matches a year, MCC undertakes numerous overseas tours.
The club’s visit to Bahrain is part of a 12-day tour of the Gulf which also took in Oman and included a floodlit 20-over match against the national team of the oldest independent state in the Arab world.
Stephenson added: “MCC has an excellent working relationship with both Oman and Bahrain, and I am sure this tour will be a great success. The popularity of cricket in both countries is growing and I’m sure the visit of an MCC touring squad will only help this to continue.”
The visit here was inspired by the 200th anniversary of friendship and strong bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Bahrain and follows a chance conversation between former British ambassador Iain Lindsay and keen cricketer and Awali Taverners’ opening bat Charles Forward.
Forward, 46, a chartered accountant who has also played cricket for Hampshire Cricket Board, Old Tauntonians and Romsey, explained: “I have been fortunate enough to tour twice with the MCC - Namibia 2001 and Nepal 2003.
“I was approached by Iain at his leaving lunch to see if the MCC would be interested to tour as part of the Bahrain UK bi-centenary celebrations.
“I contacted Lord’s and after a bit of to-ing-and-fro-ing they agreed to the tour. We originally wanted November but due to the fact that Oman have qualified for the World Twenty20 they needed to do it now before the tournament.”
The matches will be played on the cricket field at Awali behind the church.
Awali Cricket Club was founded in 1935 and has been running ever since. Currently there are three league teams on a Friday and two social teams playing on a Saturday.
“I am just very excited there is an opportunity to raise the profile of cricket here which is under developed compared to the surrounding countries,” said Forward, who comes from Romsey in the English cricketing county of Hampshire and has lived in Saar for six years with his wife, Rhiett and their children, Mariella, 16, and Llewellyn,14.
Forward currently plays for the Awali Bapco league side and the Taverners socially, as the opening batsman ‘who tries to avoid bowling at all costs’. He hopes the MCC visit will prove a big hit. “It is an opportunity to encourage new interest in the sport and to me the most important event is the coaching session tomorrow where, hopefully, we can encourage a number of children of all ages to participate,” he added.
The matches will be staged at Awali and start between 10am and noon, apart from the Twenty20 triangular which will commence at 6.30am.
The full MCC squad visiting Bahrain: Ed McKenna (manager), Clinton Perren (Littleborough CC, captain), Kez Ahmed (Pudsey Congs CC), Ricky Anderson (Bickley Park CC), Luke Harvey (Ticknall CC), Jim Hindson (Caythorpe CC), Grieg Hofbauer (Finedon Dolben CC, Bedfordshire CCC), Alex Martin (Oundle CC), Michael Payne (Tring CC and Buckingamshire CCC), Marc Reingold (Stanmore CC), Michael Thornely (Blackheath CC), Shiv Thakor (Derbyshire CCC), Oliver Hannon-Dalby (Warwickshire CCC), Andrew Clarke (New Brighton CC), Geoffrey Blackmore (umpire).
