But in a brief moment of reflection and contemplation, I tapped into the keyboard and there it was, 'www.Hungary4cricket.com’. I enquired and, almost immediately, two teams sent me messages to join up and one year on and here I am, telling you all about it.

Cricket is thriving in Hungary. With summer temperatures towards 40 degrees (although winter’s are as low as minus 20!!) it can be hot and sweaty going, but we have a great setup thanks to the hard work of a few and the participation of a growing many. Last year, the 2012 ‘regular’ season started in April and went on through till September but, with the increasing demand from the teams and the pleasant weather through till as late as November, the 2013 season is set to run much longer.

It started in 2007 and next year, in 2013, we will have three leagues. These will include men, women, Hungarians, ‘ex-pats’ from the world over, youngsters in schools (and youngsters increasingly featuring in the adult teams) and to cap it all the Hungarian National Team achieved ICC (International Cricket Council) status in 2012.

A quick summary of what’s happened so far:

We have the GB Oval ground, which is a full sized cricket ground dedicated to the sport, turfed and with an artificial wicket. Another ground in Kispest is a permanent cricket venue and there are other grounds being developed. We have dedicated outdoor ‘net’ areas as well as an increasing number of indoor net and practice locations.

There is an adult men’s league playing 40 overs out of which we have the Hungarian National Side which recently competed in an ICC tournament in Bulgaria. There are shorter versions of the game in the second and third league and also a 20:20 competition during the mid-season break.

Women’s cricket has taken off and is also seeking ICC membership. It is now expected to overtake the men’s national side in its rise up the women’s world rankings.

There is an independent ‘bat and ball’ setup for youngsters and a growing number of schools are adding cricket into their list of sporting activities. Players from the national side run training sessions throughout every week and, looking ahead to 2013, we are looking for more players to help with the growing schedule.

The future of the sport here is going to be found more increasingly in the Hungarian national players and so, while the men’s adult league currently has only around 10% native Hungarians, the rate of take-up across all age ranges and all abilities is increasing. The governing board is setting targets for increased national Hungarian participation in order to continually promote and grow the sport.

This is not to say that players from all parts of the world are not always welcome. We have a great mix of players from Australia to America and from Afghanistan to India.

Hungarian cricket is here and it’s growing. To be part of it just logon to www.hungary4cricket.com and we’ll get you playing. But don’t wait till the sun is shining again, we have indoor net sessions in January and indoor competitions in March. See you soon!

If you would like to know more contact Andrew by clicking here