Moscow's cricket enthusiasts are close to finalising a four team league competition, which, all going well, will start next weekend (Saturday, June 24).

The competition will hopefully see Russians playing along side expatriates on the practice pitch of the famous Dynamo Football Club, located 20 minutes from the Kremlin.

Australian, British, Indian and Rest of the World teams will each play six games, with all teams playing each other twice.

The Rest of the World team will live up to its title, fielding Sri Lankans, South Africans, Canadians, as well as a Bulgarian and a Russian.

Encouragingly, while expatriate based, the majority of players are drawn from Western businesses such as Cable & Wireless, Price Waterhouse Coopers and KPMG operating in Moscow, meaning the competition has transcended its Embassy foundations.

The Russians involved are curious workmates of expatriates involved in the competition.

Organisers are hoping to annoint Ambassadors as Patrons for each team, as well as seeking team and competition sponsors. Furthermore, organisers hope to create a formal association and investigate the possibility of European and International Cricket Council membership.

Ihese are major advances on last summer, which featured just five games, including a Moscow Ashes series between the British and Australian Embassies. As well, there were social matches between Indian and Pakistani expatriates. The season lasted from July to September.

Cricket was played by Russians in the days of the Tsar, but like most things Western, stopped after the 1917 Revolution.

A Russian form of Rounders lived on called 'Lapda'.

Think of Moscow and you think snow and ice. So ice cricket is not so inconceivable.

Moscovite cricket player, David Waterhouse, reports:

"In February, last winter, a few colleagues, and myself played ice cricket on a frozen pond (Patriasha Ponds Cricket Field). The "pitch" has the snow scraped off the ice. No spikes (or skates) allowed. Tip and run. Bowling was allot easier than I expected.

Batting was a different story. When you drive the ball hard your feet provide no anchor on the ice - so two things happen: your feet lift from under you, and your bat carries through and hits you on the back of the head!

You also learn to aim the ball into snow drifts (harder for the fielders to find) Once you've sorted out the basics it gets easier."