The sun-drenched shores of Spain might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of cricket. But the Cricket is steadily gaining traction in this passionate nation, and at the helm of this growth is head coach Corey Rutgers. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Coach Rutgers, where he shed light on Spain’s cricketing journey, their upcoming challenges in Croatia and the Mediterranean Cup, and his own memorable experiences. This interview promises a unique perspective on the evolving cricketing landscape in Spain, so get ready to be surprised!
Q: How are the preparations going for the upcoming series in Croatia?
A: Preparations have been going along steadily, most of the admin side has been completed and it’s very exciting to launch the first-ever Mediterranean Cup.
A big thank you to the European Cricket Network for launching the idea with Mate Jukic the head of Croatia Cricket.
Q: What specific areas are you focusing on in training sessions leading up to the series?
A: Most players at the moment are very busy in their domestic seasons.
We have a few playing in the UK and Netherlands and also many playing in various leagues across Barcelona, Alicante and Malaga.
The majority of players need to send in video footage from training sessions and gym sessions to our strength and conditioning coach and myself. They are all fit and ready to go.
Q: Can you tell us about the current team composition and any new talents we should watch out for?
A: Our team has been settled for quite some time, we feel we have a very healthy balance of aggressive batsman, spin department and quicks.
Luckily this series will give four new names an opportunity at the T20I level.
- Sebastian Hughes Piñan
- Alec Davidson Soler
- Dani Long Martinez
- Sheraz Iqbal
All four are likely to debut at some point and very excited to impress
Q: How do you see the future of cricket in Spain, and what steps are being taken to promote and develop the sport?
A: Things are moving along very quickly in the last few years.
We recently cracked the top 30 on the T20I rankings only 2 months ago, which is a massive achievement for us on a small budget.
Also, the Women’s game has been growing steadily we’ve launched our first-ever women’s league this year, and continue to grow in the local leagues.
Our end goal is to achieve 50 over cricket again.
Q: What has been your most memorable moment as the coach of Spain Cricket so far?
A: There has been a few so far. Proud that the team came 3rd two years in a row at the ECC only behind the English XI and Netherlands XI out of 30 teams.
Also very proud of our 2-0 series win vs Jersey this year.
They were ranked 22 in the world at that time. Was a big achievement for our squad.
Also having the highest T20I win percentage in the world. Since we’ve begun playing, it means a lot to the group.
Q: How important is community support for the team’s success, and how can fans get more involved?
A: The more we grow and the more events we play bring more eyeballs to the sport in Spain.
Spain has a very proud sporting heritage globally.
If we can keep striving and getting more recognized globally our dream is to have government support and bring a bigger fan base to matches.
Q: Your two cents to our readers
A: Keep following associate cricket! The gap is smaller than ever and there are a lot of good teams and players that need your support!
The world game is growing 🤝🏏
Social Profiles:
@european cricket network
My full name – Corey Rutgers
Personal Profiles of the Coach
Twitter – @coreyrutgers
Instagram – @crutgers_28
Cricket España Official Social Media Pages
Twitter – @cricket_espana
Insta – @cricket_spain_
