Captain: Vladimir Chudacik
Ranking: *
Website: Cricket Slovakia
Vladimir Chudacik - a true cricket pioneer
The history of cricket in Slovakia is fairly recent and the birth, growth and future of the game in the country will forever be indebted to one man - Vladimir Chudacik.
Chudacik joined a football club while he studied English in Gloucestershire in 1997 and when the summer came and the footballers turned from football to play cricket he joined in. Chudacik joined Frampton Cricket Club where he learned the game and went on their end-of-season tour to Mallorca.
When he returned to Slovakia Chudacik was shocked to find that cricket did not exist in the country so he decided to establish the game in the country. Chudacik began the process of establishing the Slovakia’s first ever cricket club in his home village of Hajske near Nitra.
Chudacik knocked on the doors of the 1,300 residents in the village and persuaded members of his football club to give cricket a try. The early games used one bat, wickets which Chudacik had carved himself and agreement with the local football club for using the ground. The plan was to play cricket with anyone interested but with a particular emphasis on introducing children to the game.
Cricket Slovakia - development
Chudacik also made contact with cricket clubs in Vienna and Prague - geographically their nearest teams. He also attended the Vienna Winter Cup 2000 and met people who had established other clubs in Europe who gave him ideas to develop the game in his home country.
In 2000 the Slovak Cricket Club was formed and Chudacik obtained the basic equipment to enable the games to be improved and closer to the traditional game from his friends at Frampton CC. In May 2001 the club had five players who were regular players and a number of casual players who were interested in the game.
In 2001 Cricket Slovakia was formed and registered and the game began to take off on an organised footing with regular six-a-side matches.
The existing players dedicated to practice twice a week and the numbers swelled. Unlike many of the European countries the game in Slovakia was developed by an indigenous member of that country rather than an expatriates from a Test-playing nation.
Early internationals - first international victory
A year after Cricket Slovakia was founded the team began to play their first matches against formal opposition. Chudacik led a side into their first match was against Prague Cricket Club at their Vypich Ground in June 2002 and although they suffered a 56-run defeat it was a positive debut by the side.
Slovakia also headed to Vienna and played matches against teams from the Austrian Open League which enhanced their experiences of the game.
In 2004 Slovakia travelled to Prague again to compete in a tri-nation festival hosted by the Czech Republic and also featuring Poland. Slovakia played their first international match against Poland and got off to a winning start and they claimed victory by four wickets. They faced rivals Czech Republic for the first time and despite a credible performance they slipped to a 75-run defeat.
Slovakia’s participation in the tri-nations festival gained them some important publicity in the country’s media and articles about the game and Cricket Slovakia appeared in Slovakian newspapers and some shots from their matches appeared on almost all Slovakian TV channels.
Slovakian Cricket League - a step in the right direction
Slovakia also began to host 11-a-side matches at their ground in Hajske and their first full match was against familiar foes Prague CC in August 2003 in a match where over 200 was scored by both sides.
Initially domestic games consisted of six-a-side competitions but as the game developed these matches became full 11-a-side matches. Slovak CC played regular domestic games against an international XI made up of expatriates.
As the number of expatriates and Slovakians becoming interested in the game Cricket Slovakia founded a three-team domestic league featuring Slovak CC, England CC and India CC with its inaugural season in 2006.
The future - ICC Affiliate Member Status
The development of cricket in Slovakia is nothing short of remarkable and is example of what the dedication and determination of what one man can achieve. Less than a decade after the game was first introduced there are 20 native players and around 20 expatriates who play the game regularly in the county.
Chudacik is keen to expand the game to the rest of the county and establish the sport alongside ice-hockey and football which are the most popular sports in the county. If the endeavours of the past decade are anything to go by, especially with the indigenous population, the future of cricket in Slovakia is in safe hands.
A fitting reward for all the endeavours of Chudacik will be when Slovakia progresses to receive Affiliate Member status from ICC Europe. This will enable the country to progress further and enable them to compete in European Cricket Championships and that remains their next goal.
*Unofficial world ranking