ICC Europe has announced the regional winners of the ICC Development Programme Awards for 2008.

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Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

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The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

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Denmark have won the 2008 European Indoor Championship in Finland, beating old foes Portugal in a thrilling encounter. Denmark scrambled a two-wicket win off the penultimate delivery, overhauling Portugal's total of 132.

Hamid Shah was their hero in the decider with an unbeaten 28, sharing a match-winning partnership with Taha Ahmed (25*), after they were precariously placed at 65 for 3. For Paulo Buccimazza, the captain of Portugal, there was the consolation of being awarded Player of the Tournament after finishing as the leading run scorer in the competition, and once again in the final showed his quality making an unbeaten 38.

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The tenth ICC European Indoor Championship take place this weekend in Kuortane, Finland. This will be the first tournament to take place in Finland and Kuortane will become the most northerly venue ever to be used for an official international cricket championship.

Originally held every year, the European Indoor Championship has now become a biennial event. The 2006 tournament was held at Lord's and was won by Denmark, who were victors in three of the last four championships. The only other winner in that period was Hellas (Greece), who defeated Denmark by 3 runs in the 2005 final in Herning, Denmark.

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Finland will host the 10th European Indoor Championship, in Kuortane next February, ICC Europe announced today.

This is the first time that the Scandinavians will host the European Indoor Championship, which made its debut in Versailles, France back in 1998. That year it was won by Portugal who went on to win the competition three times before hosting it in Lisbon in 2001.

Like Portugal, Denmark have also been crowned champions three times (2003, 2004, 2006), and the only other teams to win the competition are Greece (2005, 2002) and the Netherlands (2000).

17 ICC European member countries have competed in the competition since its inception and the 2008 Championship will include eight teams: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain.

This year’s host, Finland, has only competed in the competition once before at the previous tournament in 2006 held at Lord’s, where Denmark took the title and where Finland's final position was a very creditable sixth.

“This is a great time for cricket in Finland which is growing extremely fast,” Richard Holdsworth, the ICC European Development manager said. “ Their development programmes have reached out to many girls and boys over the last few years, and awarding them their first ICC event will help this expand even more.”

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

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Finland have returned to Division 3 of the European Championships after winning this week's 4th division tournament in Belgium.

Speaking to the teams at the tournament’s closing dinner, ICC European Development Manager Richard Holdsworth pointed out that three years ago Norway had played in the equivalent competition.

‘By winning three consecutive tournaments,’ Holdsworth said, ‘they have earned promotion to the 1st Division, and will also be part of Division 5 of the World Cricket League in 2007-2008.

‘This gives them an opportunity to reach the 2009 ICC Trophy, the qualifying tournament for the 2011 World Cup. In preparation for all this, they will receive a grant of $US20,000.’

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