OUTDOOR cricket in November came to Europe last week when British players descended upon La Manga for an inaugural festival at the Spanish resort. Six teams and the Spain national side played a series of 20-over matches over four days, with the Club Cricket Conference beating the Midlands Cricket Conference in the final. Alec Stewart was on hand to make the man-of-the-match award to David Goodchild, the former Middlesex batsman.

The players were drawn from a broad cross-section, with two members of the England women’s team participating, including Clare Connor, the captain. At one end of the scale were several Surrey professionals, notably Jonathan Batty, the county’s new captain; at the other was Nigel Mansell, a property owner in these parts who turned out in one match for a scratch side. The one-time Formula One world champion, now an aspiring professional golfer, caused alarm for his caddie when he was hit in the box by a full toss and later risked his fingers taking a steepling catch.

Also present, in a non- playing capacity, was Derek Underwood, whose company, ClubTurf, was responsible for laying two separate artificial cricket pitches, as well as several net surfaces. Their consistent bounce, not to mention good pace and carry, was apparent. By placing the pitches between two different sets of football pitches, La Manga has been able to create two cricket grounds with smooth outfields and proper boundaries.

Batty was impressed with how well the pitches played, but ruled out the prospect of counties using La Manga for pre-season tours. “The key point about going abroad for pre-season is that players must be able to practise on turf pitches,” he said. “There wouldn’t be any point in coming here just to practise on artificial surfaces, however good they are, as we already have them in the form of indoor nets at home. La Manga would need to develop drop-in pitches.”

Tony Coles, the resort’s managing director, ruled out that possibility, however, and declared that club cricketers were his target. “We are primarily a golf resort, but we have been looking to increase our portfolio of sports here,” he said. “We want to get club sides from the UK to come and play here between late September and December, when the cricket grounds will be available for use.”

The two cricket grounds revert in January to four football pitches when they are needed by Scandinavian professional clubs, who decamp in La Manga early in the New Year to prepare for their start of their season in April.

The three representative club conferences in England have pledged to sell the autumn window to their 4,000 or so member clubs for future tours. Last week’s festival will be repeated for at least the next three years. European national sides, nearly all of whom play on artificial pitches, are also keen to use La Manga, whose cricketing future looks bright.