Local cricketers are reaching out to students in a bid to introduce a younger generation to the low profile bat-and-ball game, introduced by the British 200 years ago.

Loved by some and hated by others, one of Malta’s best kept secrets attracts some 500 tourists every year, including Hollywood star Russell Crowe’s relatives who were summoned from New Zealand to challenge the Maltese players during the filming of the blockbuster Gladiator.

The Crowe XI team, which included his cousins and cricket stars Martin and Jeff, and his uncle Dave, is not the only team that flew to the island to play against the Maltese team. The island hosts at least 20 visiting teams every year.

Hollywood star Russell Crowe played cricket in Malta.

“Introduced by the British, cricket’s been played here for ages and has evolved as expats moved to Malta and kept the sports going. Visiting teams come here as the facilities are brilliant – the cricket ground is one of the best in Europe and we’ve been blessed with fantastic weather.

“There’s barely any rain except for a couple of months in winter,” Malta’s national captain, Nowell Khosla said after a three-hour game at the Marsa Sports Club.

The club is this weekend hosting two English teams, as it gears up for the Central Europe Cup that will be held in Prague in June and Malta’s own international tournament in October. Malta is also hoping to host a game when the Commonwealth summit is held here in November.

An affiliate member of the International Cricket Council, the Malta Cricket Association has competed in international tournaments for the past 20 years. The Guinness Book record for the oldest international cricketer was in fact held, until recently, by Wally Glynn who played for Malta against Greece aged 65 years and 289 days.

Still, despite two centuries of cricket, it seems that only those with ties to other commonwealth countries, such as India, Australia and the UK, are keen players. So the association is branching out to young Maltese with a Saturday morning academy and is also in discussion with the University of Malta to train sports undergraduates to be cricket coaches.

Its summer activity camp last year saw some 180 boys and girls trying out the game for the first time.

Cricket, which can be played by people in all age groups, is a simple game that gets mentally complicated, according to Mr Khosla.

“There is probably lack of enthusiasm and knowledge about the game because it is not taught in schools, and also because it’s a long game, compared to football and rugby. You either love or hate cricket,” he added.

Those interested can get in touch on maltacricket@yahoo.co.uk.