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Try out Cricket in Sønderborg

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This is a guest post by Vivek Menon a member of Sønderborg Cricket Club.

Did you know you could play the sport of Cricket right here in our lovely Sonderborg? What the hell is Cricket – most of you may ask?

Well here is the Wikipedia version – Cricket is a bat and ball game, played between two teams of 11 players each. One team bats, attempting to score runs, while the other bowls and fields the ball, attempting to restrict the scoring and dismiss the batsmen. The objective of the game is for a team to score more runs than its opponent. There are many rules to the game which are better understood by checking out this basics video.

It is a team sport and considered to be Gentlemen’s (and Ladies’) game with a rich history and tradition. What makes cricket stand out from football and other team games is that it has a more gladiatorial feel to it. It’s not an even 11 vs 11 contest but more of a 2 vs 11 uneven battle in the ring. The batsmen, like the gladiators of old – go out to the center with a bat, some protection and helmets to face a hard leather ball which is being thrown at them upto 100 Km/h which swings or spins in the air and after pitching and have to survive.

Cricket Sonderborg

C2

To the serious fans of the game it is best encompassed by the a quote from Jon Arlott:

“Cricket is a most precarious profession; it is called a team game but, in fact, no one is so lonely as a batsman facing a bowler supported by ten fieldsmen and observed by two umpires to ensure that his error does not go unpunished”

For the more light hearted fans/interested people the famous American comedian Robin Williams has a more apt definition:

“Cricket is like baseball on valium”.

It is game invented by the British and played in over 100 countries today including Denmark. Many of you would be surprised to hear that some of the oldest football clubs in Denmark started as Cricket clubs when the British came here to build the Danish railways?

So where can you play this game in Sonderborg. Well the Sonderborg Cricket Club has been recently formed and they are currently using the grounds of the Uklebol school (Just behind of Park Kollegium). During winter they are playing indoors in the Klovermarken hallen. They practice almost all Thursdays (from 1700 hrs) and Sundays (from 1000 hrs). Everyone is welcome to come and join in or watch the action.

The club currently has about 20 members living in Sonderborg and Flensburg. It includes players from Danish, Indian, Pakistani, Srilankan and Afghani backgrounds. They are looking to increase their membership and invite both children and adults from all backgrounds.

The aim of the club is to spread the message and team spirit of cricket and supporting integration of all nationalities living in Sonderborg. They will be present at the Sonderborg Kultur Nat on 24th August – so be sure to catch them there.

So are you or your kids ready for battle? Become modern day gladiators? (Kids will play with rubber balls)

For those who would like to read more about cricket in Denmark in Danish please read more at Dansk Cricket Forbund.

Sonderborg’s Newcomers Network

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When moving to a new place one of the biggest concerns you have (after accommodation) is making friends. Back home you probably have a support network of friends that you have been building for years, but all of a sudden you are all alone, starting from scratch.

You are probably not alone in that situation in town. A problem is finding the others! For this reason the Sonderborg Industry and Tourism Centre (SET) has set up a ‘Newcomers Network‘.

This group, organised by Patricio Soto, meets every first Monday of the month at 7pm at Broggeriet, a cafe in central Sonderborg. Even though we were not yet living in Sonderborg we attended the November meetup.

At the meetup we attended there were people from all over, particularly in Europe, and also Danes. Surprisingly to us we were seated for the ‘networking event’. However, as people joined and left we moved around on the tables to make space or close gaps, which helped the circulation of people.

The next meetup is a Julefrokost (or Christmas lunch) in December. So if you live in the area and interested in meeting other new (and not so new) people living in Sonderborg and surroundings check out this group page and send an email to Patricio to book your place (it is subsidised so only costs 50dkk). I look forward to seeing you there!