About

The goal of this website is to provide a central location for everything cricket in Berlin.

The Berliner Cricket Komitee's (BCK) job is to organise cricket in Berlin. For a quick introduction, see the following article.

So what is the BCK anyway?

Martin Haynes • 15 January 2022

Lots of cricketers have been asking me about the BCK recently. So, I did a bit of research to make sure I could give the right answers. And the truth is that the BCK goes way back further than I thought.

The BCK is an organising committee of the Berliner Fußball-Verband (BFV). It works in conjunction with the ODCV, the regional association of the Deutscher Cricket Bund (DCB).

Tasks of the BCK

The tasks of the BCK include:

  • Organising the playing of all levels of cricket in Berlin
  • Coordinating the allocation of pitches with the relevant authorities.
  • Reviewing and assessing new cricket pitches
  • Youth cricket across all clubs
  • Promoting, growing and developing the sport of cricket in Berlin.

The tasks of the ODCV include:

  • Organising league cricket in Berlin and the surrounding area
  • Compiling the overall playing schedule (fixture list)
  • Drawing up and monitoring compliance with the playing conditions and MCC Laws of Cricket.
  • Organising representative events
  • Selecting representative teams
  • Registering players (eligibility)
  • Monitoring, reviewing and allocating umpires

Taken from the BFV Cricketordnung (CO) from 2015. Some tasks within were taken over by the ODCV when it was founded in 2016.

What does the BCK do for us?

  • Negotiates with Olympia-Park
  • Arranged the installation of pitches on Maifeld
  • Pays for the removal of waste from Maifeld (ca. €500 per season)
  • Submits applications for clubs to use Maifeld (Nutzungsanträge)
  • Procured batting cage and sight screens

Future goals

  • The improvement of current facilities at Olympia-Park and beyond.
  • Finding new facilities for cricket in Berlin and the surrounding area.
  • Putting on more informal cricket in Berlin. This means more friendly matches, and the invitation of touring teams from Germany and beyond.
  • Encouraging the growth and development of womens' cricket.
  • Introducing youth cricket in Berlin.

Contacts

Dr. Raghu Chaliganti

President

Dr. Raghu Chaliganti is a champion of cricket in Berlin. As the captain of Viktoria from 2006 to 2008 and co-founder of HCCW in Werder from 2009 to 2017, he has played a pivotal role in nurturing the sport's growth and establishing thriving cricket communities.

His passion for cricket led him to found International Cricket Academy Berlin (ICAB e.V.), which now boasts three men's teams competing in various formats, as well as two women's teams. Additionally, Dr. Chaliganti has held key positions in cricket administration, including serving as the Vice President of the East-German Cricket Association (ODCV) since 2016 and has been chairing the BCK since 2022.

Martin Haynes

Vice-President

Hailing from the south coast of England, Martin played his formative cricket in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight for Ryde Cricket Club in the 80s and 90s. After a brief stint in the North East for South Northumberland CC, he moved to Berlin in the late 1990s.

He was welcomed there by the Berlin Cricket Club and became their regular keeper and late middle order slogger. He moved from 1st XI captain to club chairman in 2012, and from 2012 to 2015 joined the BCK as Ligaleiter. He became the vice-chairman of the BCK in 2022.

Martin has always been committed to developing the game in Berlin. He feels it is not only time to give back to the game which has given him so many memories, but it is essential to allow more people the opportunity to enjoy this fantastic sport.