After almost two weeks of Challenger action, the Premier Division of the European Cricket Championship finally got under way in Cártama this Thursday.

In the morning fixture at the Cártama Oval, Scotland XI beat France by five wickets. The rest of the teams in Group A (Guernsey, Ireland XI and Portugal) will fight it out until Saturday.

Group B (Austria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and Romania) will be contested from Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 October; Group C (Belgium, Finland, Malta, Spain and Switzerland) from Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 October; and Group D (Jersey, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Netherlands XI) from Saturday 12 to Monday 14 October.

The winners of these groups will then compete in Championship Week from Tuesday 15 October. There, they will be joined by reigning champions England XI as they fight to crown the overall winner.

Until the final on Saturday 19 October, Cártama’s upgraded cricket facility, now operated by the football agency PFC, will host matches daily from 11.30am to 9pm, with free entry for fans.

Greece earn promotion

Playing in next year’s Premier Division will be Greece after their victory in the Challenger Division final.

They beat Estonia by eight wickets on Wednesday having also seen off Isle of Man and Czechia in the playoffs.

Broadcast to a global audience of several million, the competition is expected to further enhance Cártama’s reputation in the sporting world as the ‘home of European cricket’.