The other night, I suddenly wanted to see which teams were participating in the 2022 ECS Krefeld T10 tournament.
Not for writing news, not for organizing a match—just out of curiosity.
I also wanted to use this info to play “Fantasy Cricket” and guess who’d win.
I figured a quick online search would take 30 seconds.
Turns out… I was wrong.
This ended up taking me nearly a week, like solving a mystery.
Step One: Checked the Official Site and Social Media – Saw Nothing
First, I went to the ECS (European Cricket Series) official website and clicked into the “Krefeld leg” page.
Blank.
Nothing.
Not even the match dates were listed.
Then I checked their Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Scrolling through posts from the past few months, I saw nothing but photos from last year’s tournament—player group shots, award ceremonies, all looking lively.
But updates for 2022? Not a single one.
I dug through page after page like sifting through old archives, only to find piles of memories, no fresh news.
That’s when I knew: official channels weren’t reliable.
I asked on fan forums, but all I got was “heard say”
I switched to several forums frequented by cricket fans.
I posted: “Who knows which teams are participating in this year’s Krefeld T10?”
After waiting a day, only a few replied:
- “Heard Düsseldorf might come.”
- “Seems like some new teams joined.”
- “That Cologne team might not be coming.”
All “heard,” “might,” “probably.”
No one could give a definitive list.
One reply said: “Three teams withdrew.”
When I asked which three, he went silent.
This information was like seeing flowers through a fog—you catch glimpses but can’t grasp the truth.
I began manually checking each club’s website
Since no one could clarify, I decided to investigate myself.
I thought: Each participating team’s own club website must have updates, right?
I opened my browser, launched over twenty tabs at once, and checked each club one by one.
Clicking into the “Krefeld Cricket Club” official site, I scrolled through the “Latest News” section for ages.
Finally! In an inconspicuous corner, I spotted a small announcement:
“We are delighted to announce that the Krefeld Eagles will participate in the 2022 ECS T10 Krefeld leg. The Düsseldorf Kings and Cologne Vikings have also confirmed their participation.”
Progress!
I jotted it down immediately: three teams confirmed.
But tournaments usually have 8 to 10 teams. With only three confirmed, we’re still far off.
Calling for Info, Finally Getting Some “Inside Scoop”
Just checking the website wasn’t enough. I decided to reach out directly.
I found several club secretary phone numbers and started dialing them one by one.
The first two numbers went straight to “disconnected.”
The third call connected—it was the tournament coordinator.
He sounded exhausted, probably busy with other things.
I asked, “Which teams are participating this year?”
He hesitated, then said, “The list hasn’t been officially released yet. I can’t say much.”
But then he whispered to me, “The Essen Challengers and the Duisburg Warriors will be coming.”
I jotted it down immediately.
He emphasized again, “Don’t tell anyone I told you.”
I agreed.
Though incomplete, this was the most reliable information available.
After days of waiting, the full roster finally appeared
For the next two days, I refreshed that regional sports website every few hours.
Finally, at 3 a.m., a new notice appeared: 2022 ECS Krefeld T10 Full Roster Released!
I clicked immediately. The list was as follows:
- Krefeld Eagles
- Düsseldorf Kings
- Cologne Vikings
- Essen Challengers
- Duisburg Warriors
- Mönchengladbach Wildcats
- Neuss Knights
- Aachen Rangers
Eight teams—all accounted for!
I took a screenshot immediately and saved a copy to my email.
Last year I learned the hard way—the info I found got deleted the next day, leaving no evidence behind.
This time I’m smarter: save it when you see it, don’t wait.
I also noticed the two bottom-ranked teams from last season aren’t on the list—they’ve been replaced by two new teams.
This shows the competition is evolving, but no one’s properly updating the information.
My Real Thoughts
This experience made me realize:
Information about minor cricket matches is like an unmanaged WeChat group.
Some know bits, others hear rumors, but no one compiles the full picture for everyone.
You can’t expect to “just search and find it”—you have to dig, ask, and wait yourself.
Sometimes, the simplest answers are the hardest to find.
I also understand why many fans simply stop following these tournaments—
it’s not a lack of interest, but the sheer difficulty of keeping up.
What I’ll Do Next Time
If I need to check similar tournament rosters in the future, I will:
- Check the participating clubs’ official websites first, not just the ECS homepage.
- Call or email the organizers early—don’t wait until the last minute.
- Save all information: screenshots, forwards, backups—to prevent loss.
- Don’t trust hearsay—always verify the source.
One final note
This was supposed to be a simple roster lookup.
Instead, I spent five days, made phone calls, opened twenty tabs, and was still refreshing pages at 3 AM.
It wasn’t because I’m overly meticulous, but because the information that should have been available simply wasn’t properly disclosed.
I hope that in the future, these grassroots tournaments can follow the example of major leagues,
clearly publishing participating teams, schedules, and player information.
After all, fans just want to support their favorite teams,
not play detective first.
