Cricket has been played in Korea for some time and over the years there have been visits from some of the great cricketers of the world. Former Australian captain Alan Border was once flown in at great expense only to have the match rained off! However, it has always been difficult to maintain interest and support for the sport as enthusiasts came and went. In the last couple of years though, a huge effort has been made at establishing an organisation that will sustain and grow cricket in Korea.

Chairman of the Korea Cricket Association (KCA), Shane Kennedy explained “The KCA is recognized and supported by the International Cricket Council, cricket’s governing body. With their help and the backing of sponsors like adidas, Scrooge Sports Pub and most recently Greg Chappell Cricket Centre we have been able to improve facilities, raise standards and increase the number of players”.

The league has changed this season and comprises two pools. Teams have been seeded based on last year’s performance. Each team gets to play a minimum of 4 games and the season runs from April to September. Depending on the points table at the end of the pool games, different teams will vie for either Cup or Plate trophy which will be a knockout format. “The season is already underway so new players may not be able to find teams to join, but we are looking at creating other competitions so we do want people to get in touch with us” said Kennedy.

The season this year has a new team -KP Panthers – formed by Korean and mainly Pakistani players and the other teams are India Lions, ANZIK Tigers, Pakistan Eagles, Samsung Warriors, Haydri Star, Broughton’s XI, SKKU Dragons and Sri Lanka. The vice chairman of the KCA, Lee, Hwa Yeon suggested that “the decision to add another Korean team is just a logical extension of our desire to promote cricket as a sport in Korea”.

Currently, all the matches take place at the Sungkyunkwan University ground in Suwon but efforts are being made to expand the grounds available for cricket. The Korean players in the league are currently in conversations with other universities and SKKU.

As well as organizing and playing, Korea’s cricketers have been coaching children. At the moment they are running a regular programme at the British School at Seoul Foreign School. “On the KCA committee, we have Nasir Khan whose specific responsibility is developing the game with kids, that is the best way for us to build a lasting legacy in Korea” said Kennedy.

For interested players, supporters and umpires, debutantes or with lots of experience, if you want to get involved email shane_kennedy_nz@hotmail.com.

May 21, 2008