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Cricket on the boot
Tom Claughton plays impromptu game with refugees on the tip of Sicily It seemed an unlikely sight, but there, just outside the centre of Marsala, Sicily’s westernmost city, were some lads playing cricket. Perhaps more famous for its fortified wine and salt flats, the ancient Carthaginian city clearly possessed some talent, too. This, to coincide with World Refugee Day, was the second national day of cricket for migrants to be held in Sicily.
The pitch, the central piece of grass of an athletics stadium, did not lend itself to even bounce, but worse is played on in the West Midlands, and it provided enough space for a high-standard game.
Members of the Federazione Cricket Italiana and I had travelled from Palermo, the north-western capoluogo of Sicily. The Italians who welcomed cricket to their island may never have held a real cricket ball in their hand, nor do they seem to fully understand the lbw Law, but they do understand that cricket matters to people. The game flowed nicely, with a mixture of backgrounds and techniques making for an exciting match.