# Austrian Cricket Association

The Austrian Cricket Association (Österreichischer Cricket Verband) is the national governing body of cricket in Austria. It was founded in 1981 by Kerry Tattersall as the Austrian Cricketers Association, following the re-introduction of cricket to Austria in 1975 with the founding of Vienna Cricket Club – as 1. Vienna Cricket Verein. Cricket was recorded as being played in Vienna as far back as the 1890s, traditionally by gardeners of mercantile families. During the post-war occupation of Austria, cricket was also played by allied forces members. Since 2017, the Austrian Cricket Association has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council, and it is one of the founding members of the European Cricket Council. The European Cricket Council, now succeeded by ICC Europe, is responsible for the administration of the ICC's European Development Program.

## Executive committee

The executive committee of the ACA is elected every two years and usually consists of three elected members all of which are volunteer workers.

### Current executive committee

| Name | Position |
| Mohammad Bilal ZALMAI | Chairman |
| Lakhvir HIRA | Secretary |
| Mehar Partap S. CHEEMA | Treasurer |

### List of chairmen of the Austrian Cricket Association

| From | To | Chairman |
| 1996 | March 2005 | Andrew Simpson-Parker |
| March 2005 | April 2008 | Michael Bailey |
| May 2008 | June 2009 | Marcel Biersteker |
| June 2009 | January 2013 | Naresh Laddha |
| January 2013 | February 2014 | Hammad Hassan |
| March 2014 | February 2024 | Muhammad Ashfaq |
| February 2024 | | Mohammad Bilal ZALMAI |

### List of secretaries of the Austrian Cricket Association

| From | To | Secretary |
| March 2002 | March 2005 | Michael Bailey |
| March 2006 | March 2007 | Sandeep Khanna |
| May 2008 | June 2009 | |
| June 2009 | February 2014 | Thomas Pühringer |
| March 2014 | March 2018 | Wolfgang Tesar |
| March 2018 | | Lakhvir HIRA |

## Member clubs

The association's members are 13 cricket clubs, each holding a single vote, with clubs having to be registered with the Austrian Vereinspolizei. Currently there are clubs from four of Austria's 9 federal provinces: Whilst the majority of clubs are based in Vienna, there are also clubs in Graz, Salzburg, Steyr and Velden.

### List of current member clubs

* ASKÖ CC Steyr (ASCC)
* Austria Cricket Club Wien (ACC Wien)
* Austrian Cricket Tigers (ACT
* Austrian Daredevils Cricket Club (ADCC)
* Vienna Gladiators Cricket Club (VGCC)
* Bangladesh Cricket Club (BCC)
* Riders Cricket Club (RCC)
* Vienna Afghan Cricket Club (VACC)
* Cricket Club Velden '91 (CCV91)
* Five Continents Cricket Club (FCCC)
* Graz Cricket Club (GCC)
* Lords Cricket Club (LCC)
* Pakistan Cricket Club (PCC)
* Pakistan Falken Cricket Club (PFCC)
* Salzburg Cricket Club (SCC)
* Sri Lankan Cricket Club (SLCC)
* United Nations Cricket Club (UNCC)
* Vienna Cricket Club (VCC)
* Vienna Lions Cricket Club (VLCC)

### List of former member clubs

* Graz Cricket Club (GCC)
* Pakistan United Cricket Club (PUCC)
* Sri Lankan Sports Club (SLSC)
* St Pölten Cricket Club (SPCC)

## Competitions organised

The Austrian Cricket Association is responsible amongst other duties for the administration of organised cricket competitions in Austria, with the ACA Open League perceived to be its premier competition. In 2008 the ACA Trophy, which had been a 40 over knockout tournament, and which had been geographically split since 2002 was replaced with a 20 overs competition, with a development remit.

### ACA Open League

The ACA Open League is a single innings league, and in 2006 was split into two parallel conferences (Austrian Conference and National Conference) to allow more teams to enter the league. The top three teams of each conference qualified for the Super Sixes stage, with the top two contesting a final to decide the Open League Champions. Teams not qualifying for the Super Sixes stage played in localised plate competitions – the Viennese Plate and the Southern Plate.
The league is played as a 50 overs tournament, with the exception of 2009, where due to difficulties in scheduling the League due to the unavailability of Austria CC Wien's ground in the Markomannenstrasse, it has been necessary to reduce the competition to a 35 overs format to ensure that the competition can be played to a conclusion. In 2008 logistical issues had meant that the parallel conference system was in abeyance, with a regionalised structure (a Vienna group and a non-Vienna group) with a knock-out stage for the top 6 Viennese teams joined by the top 2 from the non-Vienna group. The 2008 Open League champions were Pakistan CC, retaining the title they had won in 2007.
The first winners of the Open League since its split into parallel conferences was Vienna Lions CC in 2006, defeating Five Continents CC in the final played in September 2006 in Seebarn. United Nations CC won the Viennese Plate competition, with CC Velden '91 winning the Southern Plate competition.

#### ACA Open League Champions and Runners-up 1991–2018

| Year | Open League Champions | Open League Runners-Up |
| 1991 | Concordia CC | Vienna CC |
| 1992 | Vienna CC | Concordia CC |
| 1993 | Concordia CC | Vienna CC |
| 1994 | Pakistan CC | Vienna CC |
| 1995 | Pakistan CC | Vienna CC |
| 1996 | Concordia CC | Pakistan CC |
| 1997 | Lords CC | |
| 1998 | Lords CC | |
| 1999 | Lords CC | |
| 2000 | Lords CC | United Nations CC |
| 2001 | Concordia CC | Pakistan Falken CC |
| 2002 | Pakistan Falken CC | Pakistan CC |
| 2003 | Concordia CC | Five Continents CC |
| 2004 | Vienna CC | Austria CC Wien |
| 2005 | Austria CC Wien | Pakistan CC |
| 2006 | Vienna Lions CC | Five Continents CC |
| 2007 | Pakistan CC | Salzburg CC |
| 2008 | Pakistan CC | Austria CC Wien |
| 2009 | Pakistan CC | Vienna CC |
| 2010 | Pakistan CC | Lords CC |
| 2011 | Pakistan Cricket Wien | Vienna CC |
| 2012 | Austria CC Wien | Vienna Lions CC |
| 2013 | Pakistan CC | Austria CC Wien |
| 2014 | Austria CC Wien | Vienna CC |
| 2015 | Vienna CC | |
| 2016 | Pakistan CC | Lords CC |
| 2017 | ACT | ICCV |
| 2018 | Vienna CC | Lords CC |
Champions:
8: Concordia CC/Austria CC Wien 7: Pakistan CC 4: Lords CC 2: Vienna CC 1: Pakistan Falken CC, Vienna Lions CC, Pakistan Cricket Wien

### ACA Trophy

Pakistan CC were the last winners of the ACA Trophy (North), in 2007, defeating reigning ACA Trophy (North) holders Vienna Lions CC in the final in Seebarn. Vienna Lions CC had won the 2006 ACA Trophy (North). The competition was split into two tournaments (North and South) in 2002, with Salzburg CC having dominated the ACA Trophy (South).

#### ACA Trophy Champions and Runners-Up

| Year | Champions | Runners Up |
| 2000 | Vienna CC | Pakistan CC |
| 2001 | Pakistan CC | Vienna CC |
| 2002 | N: Lords CC S: Salzburg CC | N: Five Continents CC S: Ljubljana CC |
| 2003 | N: Pakistan CC S: Salzburg CC | N: Concordia CC S: Ljubljana CC |
| 2004 | N: Austria CC Wien S: in abeyance | N: Sri Lankan CC S: in abeyance |
| 2005 | N: Austria CC Wien S: Salzburg CC | N: Lords CC S: Graz CC |
| 2006 | N: Vienna Lions CC | N: |
| 2007 | N: Pakistan CC | N: Vienna Lions CC |

### ACA Twenty20 tournament

The inaugural Twenty20 tournament was contested by five teams in Vienna in 2008, with Pakistan CC defeating Pakistan Falken CC in the final to become champions. In 2009, United Nations CC defeated the reigning champions to win the second Twenty20 tournament, contested by six clubs. In 2010 the tournament was contested by 7 teams. In 2011 the competition split into two groups due to demand for the competition, although in 2012 the nine teams in the tournament played in a single group again. A plate competition was introduced to ensure extra cricket for sides eliminated in the group stage of the competition.

#### ACA Twenty20 Champions 2008–present

| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Plate Winners | Plate Runner-up | Participating teams |
| 2008 | Pakistan CC | Pakistan Falken CC | – | – | 5 |
| 2009 | United Nations CC | Pakistan CC | – | – | 6 |
| 2010 | Pakistan CC | Pakistan Falken CC | – | – | 7 |
| 2011 | Vienna Lions CC | Pakistan CC | United Nations CC | Vienna CC | 12 |
| 2012 | | | | | 9 |
| 2013 | | | | | 9 |
| 2014 | Afghan Steiermark CC | Austrian Cricket Tigers | | | 13* |

## Austrian national team

The Austrian national team is open to players who are qualified to play for Austria under the International Cricket Council's qualification criteria and fulfil a nationality and development criteria. The Austrian national team made its competitive début in 1990 in Guernsey and played regularly until 2003. In 2006 the national team was revived, playing two international matches against the Czech Republic.
The team's return to competitive cricket was to ICC Europe's European Championships Division 4, held in Cyprus in September 2009, with the team finishing third after wins against Luxembourg, Cyprus, Slovenia and Finland and a loss against Switzerland.