If the ambition of the KNCB to bring about a resurgence of cricket outside the Randstad, the large connurbation that extends from Amsterdam to Rotterdam, is to come to fruition, it is vital that the sport attracts new participants in territory where it isn’t currently played.

So it’s a very encouraging sign that, following the establishment of a club in Zutphen, the first steps have been taken to found the first cricket club in the province of Friesland for more than a century.

Friesland, situated in the north of The Netherlands, is different in many ways. It has its own language, Frisian, and a distinct culture. In sporting terms, it’s best known for the Elfstedentocht (Eleven Towns Race), a 200-kilometer cross-country skating race which can only be held in the severest of winters, last took place in 1997, and with the polar ice-caps melting may not happen again for a very long time.

And more recently, the city of Heerenveen has registered on the sporting map not only for its speed-skating rink, an important international venue, but for the exploits of its football team, riding high in the Dutch league and performing well in European competitions.

It’s in Heerenveen that the nascent Cricket Club Fryslân is based, and where its first members are taking part in fortnightly training sessions over the winter.

It all began with three unlikely enthusiasts, one of whom, Carl Schultz, first made his acquaintance with the sport during business trips to South Africa.

‘When a business meeting is interrupted so that the participants can adjourn to the bar to watch the final overs of a match between South Africa and Australia,’ he says, ‘you can’t help taking an interest. And that’s where my fascination with the game began.’

Schultz and his friends – ‘three crazy guys’ – were keen enough to follow the Dutch side to the West Indies for last year’s World Cup, and thereafter they began seriously discussing the establishment of a club in Friesland.

They contacted Maarten Westermann, then the KNCB director, whose priorities included the formation of new clubs outside the Randstad, and in April an initial clinic was held by the KNCB’s Alex de la Mar, himself a former Hoofdklasse cricketer with Rood en Wit Haarlem.

The numbers have now grown to a dozen or so, but there’s a long way to go.

‘We need to build up a group of twenty or thirty in time for next season,’ says Schultz, ‘so that we can be sure of putting out a team every week.’

The organisers are promoting the game actively in Heerenveen and further afield; it’s claimed that there are 800,000 people living within a half-hour drive of the city.

The practice sessions take place at Sportstad (Sport City) Heerenveen, in a magnificent indoor sports hall that would be the envy of any Hoofdklasse club, and next door to the football stadium.

And the club has brought in a coach, Pakistan-born seamer Sohail Bhatti, who is studying in nearby Leeuwarden, the provincial capital, and who has played for VRA Amsterdam for the past two seasons.

He runs the practice, and is teaching the basics to the beginners amongst the little group of enthusiasts, only a handful of whom have ever played before.

‘We chose to practise here quite deliberately,’ Schultz says, ‘because there’s always plenty going on and we come into contact with players from other sports. That’s got to help with getting the club onto the map.’

It’s a smart strategy: this week’s session had to make way for a women’s indoor football match, but not before a couple of the girls had tried their hand at bowling – and demonstrated a considerable degree of natural talent.

Who knows, maybe Fryslân will also be able to field a women’s team next season?

Schultz and his colleagues have already had talks with the local authority about establishing a cricket ground in Heerenveen.

‘But it’s a chicken-and-egg situation,’ he says. ‘The council has to be convinced that we’re serious before they’re prepared to make an investment, and we can’t begin playing properly until we have the facilities.’

The group has a number of ideas, however, for promoting the club locally: a small-scale poster campaign, contacts with schools, and a coaching clinic run by a member of the Dutch squad, aimed at attracting local media attention.

It may be a small start, but you can’t help feeling that CC Fryslân has what it takes to succeed.

One of their recruits is Sybren Gerbens, an exponent of that uniquely Frisian sport kaatsen, a relative of the French jeu de paume and the Basque game pelota.

He’s already demonstrating a hard-hitting batting style that will upset a few bowlers, and might turn into a useful medium-pace bowler.

All in all, it’s clear that Sohail Bhatti has a keen group of pupils, and the whole Dutch cricket community will wish them well.

And being sledged in Frisian is bound to be a challenging, if somewhat baffling, experience!