Details of France's national championships
Tony Munro - 21 April 1999

The five regional competitions that together form the Championnat de France or National Cricket Championships are either underway or about to start.

Four of these, North East, Midi, Sud-Ouest (South West) and Centre Ouest (you guessed it, Central-West) contribute their leading team to the Quarterfinals, where they join four from France's strongest competition, Ile-de-France, in the nationwide play-offs, with the Quarterfinals beginning in September. The four "regional" winners are given home advantage in the Quarterfinals, with the semi-finals and final being held in the Ile-de-France.

Generally, matches are 40-overs-a-side, with national championship matches 50-overs-a-side. In some leagues, in a bid to encourage native Frenchmen, clubs are given a 10-run bonus for every French player under 25.

Here is some information regarding the five Leagues:

Ile-de-France
Centred on Paris, Ile-de-France has by far the greatest number of clubs and traditionally the highest standard of cricket. Champions for the past two seasons have been Paris University. Most games are played in the Bois-de-Vincenes on the outskirts of Paris, but Mantes-la-Jolie has built a new ground north-west of the capital. Sabdraol Athletic, the oldest club in France, founded in 1890 as a sports club for British nationals, has often fielded a strong side but has struggled to attract youngsters in recent times.

North East
Should be a two-horse race between Chauny and Creil. About 10 youngsters play cricket in Chauny where cricket has now been placed on the local school curriculum - the first in France. The Chauny youth policy is already seeing results with the emergence of one or two bright prospects. Wimereux, a French-only club on the Channel coast and Strasbourg are the dark-horses.

Midi
Six clubs in this area have formed a regional championship for the first time. Cabris, based in the Nice hinterland, is traditionally the area's strongest club, but face a challenge from the new club from nearby Sophia Antipolis.

Sud-Ouest
Eymet, in the heart of Dorodgne, has regularly outlcassed its regional rivals in recent years, but its aging team is not the power it used to be and will rely heavily on Kiwi batsman, Simon Palmer, and Scottish all-rounder, Nigel Jones. Prigeux may struggle.

Centrre-Ouest
Dreux C.C., with a predominantly Pakistani playing base, should prove far too strong for other clubs in the region. Les Ormes, in Brittany, has the region's best ground but concentrate on entertaining touring sides, as do Saumur in the Loire Valley.