Journeys do not come much more extraordinary than this. Two years ago, Afghanistan were in Division Five of the World Cricket League, alongside such cricketing non-entities as Germany, Botswana and Japan. Yet in April, Afghanistan will be in the Caribbean for the World Twenty20. It is a staggering rise by any accounts – even forgetting for a moment which country it is.

Home advantage is often talked of as being crucial in sport – Afghanistan can only dream of it. They cannot even train at home, doing so in Dubai instead, as their country is still the scene of terrible conflict. But their exploits on the cricket pitch have been celebrated passionately, invoking clichés about the power of sport to bring joy to people’s lives even in the bleakest circumstances.

How on earth has cricket managed to make such an impact in a country with so little? Afghan refugees in Pakistan, where the popularity of cricket makes football in England seem a minority sport by comparison, began to pick up the game in the 1990s, forming the Afghanistan Cricket Federation in 1995 from Pakistan.

There was, however, a minor issue that prevented the game gaining popularity in Afghanistan: all sport was banned by the Taleban. But in 2000 cricket became the first and only sport to be permitted by them. In 2001 the Afghanistan Cricket Federation was elected as an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and, in extraordinarily trying circumstances, cricket began to take hold. Their fledging national side were marooned when in Pakistan playing local sides, as the UK and US invaded in October 2001.

Afghan cricket certainly does not conform to the stereotype of the game in England, played on village greens in the shires. There is only one grass wicket in the country. There are cricketing academies popping up as the national side’s success has grown, but fundamentally cricket is a game played on the streets in an incredibly disorganised manner. On rare occasions when it has been more organised, it has often been on the Ghazi Stadium. This is rather more noteworthy for being the home of Taliban executions.

Funding issues could have prevented Afghanistan from competing on the world stage. But the Asian Cricket Council has been paying for travel and accommodation fees. This has allowed the natural talent of the Afghans to come through spectacularly. Since scraping past Jersey by two wickets in the final of World Cricket League Five in May 2008, Afghanistan now find themselves in World Cricket League One, putting them in the top six non-Test-playing nations. They recently defeated Ireland in the final of the World Twenty20 qualifiers to secure their place in the tournament proper. They would no doubt have relished their victory over the United States en route.

The sheer enthusiasm for cricket in Afghanistan is startling. Though exact figures are hard to come by, the Asian Cricket Council estimates there are currently 320 cricket clubs in the country. Furthermore, and highly encouragingly for cricket’s future growth there, Afghanistan has age group sides that take matters very seriously. Whilst the senior side qualified alongside Ireland for the 12-team Twenty20 World Cup, the under-19s were in New Zealand. Things went rather less well, with the Afghans finishing bottom of the World Cup. Cricket in Afghanistan is now a very serious matter, the one sport in which they can compete on the world stage.

There are certain expectations to meet. So much so that the U19 coach had an angry phone call from President Hamid Karzai to inquire about their disappointing performance.

Happily, any such calls to the senior side’s coach recently have been rather more celebratory in nature. Over the last two years, ICC events have taken Afghanistan on a jet-setting tour from the Channel Islands to Dubai via Argentina, Tanzania and South Africa. The chance to upset South Africa and India in the World Twenty20 is deserved indeed.

Timeline: Afghan Cricket

1979: USSR invades: cricket played in some Pakistani refugee camps
1995: Afghanistan Cricket Federation founded
2000: Cricket becomes the only sport approved by Taleban
2001: Gain affiliate membership of the ICC
2008: Win World Cricket League Division 5
2008: Win World Cricket League Division 4
2009: Win World Cricket League Division 3
2009: Gain full ODI status
2010: Qualify for World Twenty20 in April

The role of the referee is a simple one: not to get too abused. Praise will never be copious – it is much easier to take advantage of an obvious scapegoat. A referee could get 95% of decisions correct and still cost one side the match with an incorrect penalty decision. It is axiomatic in many ways – but in what other sphere could doing your job correctly ‘only’ 95% of the time amount to a ‘bad day at the office’?

Having qualified as a referee aged 16, my initial experiences were daunting in the extreme. Spotty, shy and easily intimidated, my first games were harrowing. Adult Sunday League football, awash with big, bald 40-year-olds was no place for a man with no experience of refereeing – let alone a boy.

A professional referee has his linesmen to rely upon, but these are almost more of a hindrance in the grassroots game. Most of the leagues I refereed in used a system of ‘club linesmen’. This basically meant that a substitute, or even the side’s manager would also be responsible for raising his flag (or, more often, a training bib) to signal offside. Sometimes their bias is palpable – but if you are going to have linesmen, you have to trust them. On occasions they haven’t properly understood the rules, or have had to be told repeatedly to get off their mobile phones.

On a few instances, after complaints from the opposition and my own complete conviction that the linesmen were hindering the game, I would opt to referee without them. Indeed, to avoid the controversy club linesmen so often bring, some leagues opt to do without them altogether. It’s not ideal – it leaves the referee no one to pass the buck to, as is expedient in certain situations. On large pitches, it also exposes my lamentable lack of fitness. But it’s better than indulging cheats, and players tend to be slightly more sympathetic when there are no linesmen – they can see it is no easy job.

But it’s not easy for linesmen, either. There were occasions when I was convinced the coach of one particular side, out of his desperation to be even-handed, was giving every debateable decision against his own side when he was acting as linesman. After all the mindless abuse emanating from the sidelines, such occasions were almost enough to restore my faith in human nature.

As I gained in experience, I slowly became conscious of the ‘tricks’ of the players – but that is not to say I was not susceptible to them. Canny players will seek to be your friend on the pitch, knowing that it is only human nature to favour those you have built up some kind of rapport with. They would frequently say things like ‘leave the ref alone’ or ‘good decision ref’ – fully expecting me to remember their apparent decency in any 50/50s.

But at Oxford college level everyone is remarkably well-behaved. The days of witnessing players having to be broken away from each other by teammates seem long gone. Complaints are naturally still made from players – one wouldn’t expect anything else – but it tends to fall on the non-threatening side of ‘banter’.

However, despite witnessing fists hitting faces in games I refereed, my most challenging experience was not so because of the malice of the sides. One of the sides was Fulham Deaf Ladies, posing immense logistical problems. A referee’s greatest tool is his whistle. When one side cannot hear it, a whistle is somewhat less useful. I had to improvise, getting in the way of the ball, waving my arms around and generally making a nuisance of myself whenever I had to stop the play. It is remarkable how often foul throws are committed in grass roots football of both sexes, and unfortunately this was equally true of this game. This drove me to despair; to the point where I just let all but the most blatant foul throws escape unpunished, such was my frustration.

For students looking to earn a little pocket money and a life experience exceeding any bar stint, refereeing is a fantastic option. While Oxford intercollegiate games do not pay as well as some Sunday Leagues – the going rate is £22.50 a game, while some leagues pay as much as £35 – the money is more than handy. And you have the added bonus of knowing that Oxford boys are polite, well-behaved chaps – who will never say “watch your back on the way home, ref”. With a few expletives added for good measure.

What links a sailor, a modern pentathlete, a netballer, an archer and a basketballer? The answer: the desire to become the next Oxford University Sports Federation (OUSF) President.

Established twelve years ago, OUSF is one of the least publicised but most important student organisations at Oxford. It is headed by a recent Oxford graduate on a sabbatical placement. Their role combines representing the student body to the various university authorities; managing the allocation of the annual budget; co-ordinating and organising the university clubs and fixtures, both inter-collegiate and through British University and College Sport (BUCS); and holding the very important responsibility of distributing the Sport Q-Jump tickets for Wednesday at Park End. OUSF’s election process, however, is one of Oxford’s more discreet, with hacking actively criticised and avoided in its week long campaign. That is not to say though that it is not a highly sought-after and competitive position. It is for this reason that the five candidates agreed to be interviewed early on a wet, Wednesday morning.

All, unsurprisingly, admitted that the main attraction for them was the chance to contribute full-time to Oxford’s sporting scene having had to spend time over the course of their university career studying. This meant that they were all also very driven to contribute to the university’s sporting infrastructure because of the amount that they had got out of it themselves. Rachel Jarvis went as far as to say that without sport she could not have survived at Oxford and so “wanted to help such a valuable thing progress and develop”. As only a second year, standing for what is traditionally a graduate sabbatical position, Victoria Moffett is perhaps the most surprising candidate. She, however, justified her decision to stand this year rather than next by arguing that she hoped to introduce a degree of continuity to the position, as not only would she be able to enjoy the facilities she had actively influenced in her year out, but would still be in Oxford to offer advice to her successor.

OUSF has at times faced criticism over whether it is necessary in a university characterised by strong sports clubs both at university and college level. Once again though the candidates all refuted this argument and were staunch defenders of its varied work. Enni-Kukka Tuomala, a current OUSF committee member, pointing out that OUSF was the classic example of an organisation receiving little attention because it ran so effectively. Marc Tamlyn stressed that a lot of students benefitted from OUSF’s resources unknowingly, such as the website’s contact lists and fixture coordination, and that he had really noticed that Cambridge’s organisation was much poorer, perhaps because they are one of the few universities without a sports federation or athletics union. Laura Bell, the current Netball Club (OUNC) President, praised OUSF for the assistance it provided struggling clubs. Talking about OUNC, Laura described how OUSF had been amazing for the club when it “was in a massively difficult position last year and without OUSF’s help to recover it would still be struggling”.

There was no doubt though that all the candidates felt that OUSF could do far more to raise student awareness both of its services and to encourage publicity for specific clubs and events, perhaps this was most damningly exemplified by the admission that, except for Victoria Moffett, none of the candidates had had any contact with OUSF until they had reached the committee level of their respective sports, usually in their second year. With this, the interview turned toward the current state of Oxford Sport and what they would each like to achieve if elected.

‘Oxford Sport is not meeting its potential’ was the impression one got from all the candidates, heavy criticism coming as it did from five of the university’s most dedicated sportsmen and women. Whilst Marc Tamlyn stressed that the university’s teams were by no means letting themselves down there was general agreement that the academic commitments that come with being a student at Oxford combined with, as Laura Bell put it, “not the investment to match the talent” meant Oxford was always at a disadvantage to universities like Loughborough.

The recently unveiled plans for the redevelopment of Iffley were, however, met with cautious optimism because it would not only mean more clubs could train regularly but that Oxford could host national competitions. No such concerns were raised about college sport, which Rachel Jarvis saw as one of the main reasons for the strength of our university teams, “it encourages participation and means that players can develop their ability and confidence until ready to trial for the university sides”. Laura Bell agreed but felt that although a balance needed to be maintained, “university sport is striving for excellence” and so perhaps deserved priority from OUSF.

It is, however, on their policies that the candidates will be judged next Tuesday and there is no doubt all the candidates acknowledge that a large part of their year needs to be taken up with increasing the profile of OUSF and the sports clubs amongst the wider student population. Enni-Kukka Tuomala and Marc Tamlyn, in particular, were very eager to improve the support all sports clubs, not just the larger ones such as rowing and rugby, received. Enni highlighted how the Hockey Club had recently used Facebook effectively to recruit a large crowd for the second and third teams’ Varsity matches whilst Marc hoped that OUSF could encourage the clubs to make their events more spectator friendly, acknowledging that his own sport – archery – had not been particularly successful at this in the past. Victoria Moffett said that she hoped to work with the student newspapers to increase awareness of clubs, fixtures and results; whilst Laura Bell noted that Oxide Radio’s relaunch could become a valuable resource.

When pushed though for their single most important priority, the majority agreed that there was a need to improve awareness and communication between OUSF and the sports clubs so that OUSF’s resources could benefit all. Marc Tamyln, was however, the exception and returned to the need to improve match attendances, noting that it is currently very hard to find up-to-date, detailed fixture lists easily.

It remains to be seen then who triumphs next Tuesday, although on the evidence of this interview it will be a very difficult decision for the electorate, made up of two representatives per university sports club and one per college. As one of the candidates said as they returned into the wet, morning weather it does seem a shame that there cannot be five presidents this year.

Please contact Ruth Holmes (01865 241335) to determine whether you are eligible to vote next Tuesday.

The Men’s basketball Blues produced yet another impressive performance in heir 115-66 demolition of Warwick University.

Oxford headed into this crucial last-16 play-off game as heavy favourites: Warwick, although a squad with a strong reputation, play their regular season fixtures in a lower division of the BUCS league, so anything other than a home win here would have been an huge upset. Oxford now head into the quarter-finals, where sterner tests will surely await them.

Sure enough, the Blues began the contest at a lightning pace and never really stopped: their shooting was accurate, their defense was relentless and their breaks were fast and clinical. Captain Reed Doucette led his team by example, consistently getting open in the key with his excellent inside moves and cuts.

Oxford’s point guards were decisive in their distribution of the basketball, too; pass after pass opened gaping holes in Warwick’s tight zone defense, supplying plenty of unchallenged field goals for the Blues’ hot-handed shooters.

Stephen Danley was exceptional throughout the night, scoring baskets from all over the court. At times he nailed down ambitious 3-pointers, at others he drove to the hoop with unstoppable authority. His most spectacular moment came at the end of the first quarter: receiving the ball with 1.6 seconds left on the clock, the talented American heaved a buzzer-beating Hail Mary downcourt, straight into the basket: when you’re on fire, anything drops in. The Blues sideline erupted into cheers and high-fives: evidently, the whole team was massively pumped for this important game.

As the quarters wore on, Warwick’s resistance seemed to increase. After trailing 61-25 at halftime, their starting 5 re-emerged for a far more competitive third period. Warwick’s players were no untested amateurs, either. They played some efficient basketball, frequently engineering good shooting positions against a powerful Blues defense. Nonetheless, Oxford’s athletic, technical and tactical superiority was never in doubt: from the game’s very first points, the Blues’ domination was emphatic.

After the game, Warwick’s captain articulated his disappointment at losing by such a wide margin: ‘We gave our all, but against this type of opposition it simply wasn’t good enough. We boss our division, we’re the team to fear, but we’ve never faced a squad with this much talent before.’
Talent does coarse through the team: moments of incredible skill and athleticism are common fare for a club that prides itself on excellence. As Doucette later remarks, ‘We’re one of the top 4 teams in the country, no question.’

One instance of such exciting basketball was showcased by the team’s Lithuanian duo, Skomantas Pocius and Karolis Bauza: point guard Pocius produced a delightful, no-look behind-the-back pass that flew perfectly to the trailing Bauza- his swished shot completed an awesome play.

The Blues are strong on their bench, too: at the very least, there are few weak links in a squad that must be as strong as any of the country’s university basketball clubs.

Head coach Justin Hardin and his assistant Joel Harris prepare their team meticulously and intelligently; any courtside spectator can recognise the knowledge and experience with which Hardin coaches his players during a game- he reads defenses and configures adjustments faster than anyone else on the Blues’ sideline.

Coach Hardin speaks with great confidence, both about his players and about Oxford’s prospects of progressing in the tournament: ‘We played really well today; you just don’t know what to expect against a team you haven’t faced before. We’ll have a great chance in the final 8 if we keep up our intensity and make some minor improvements- fewer turnovers, taking the right shots at the right time. Just little things. This is a very talented team- I let them go out there and do their best.’

The final 8 teams will all meet in Sheffield in a few months time, where a British university champion will be crowned after 3 days of knock-out competition.

Last year, Oxford fell short of their own high-set targets: this year, says Doucette, they desperately want to go one step further- ‘We’ve been playing for this chance all season. With some fine tuning and tightening up, we’ve got a real chance. Our goal is the national championship.’

Based on displays such as this, Oxford’s basketball Blues might just achieve their lofty ambitions. Meanwhile, they still have the significant matter of Varsity to take care of. Cambridge are a much weaker team, on paper at least, but anything can happen in the one-off tie that settles this sport’s Oxbridge rivalry.
The team will face Cambridge here, at Iffley Road, on Sunday. What is for certain is that they will not enter the game complacent or without absolute focus. The Blues are assured, though, that their best performance should be enough to overpower the Tabs. Doucette makes the team’s attitude to Varsity explicitly clear: ‘We won’t take anything for granted; it’ll be a tough game for sure. But we still expect to smoke ‘em.’