Gloucestershire has a very proud sporting history. The county has produced champions galore over the years whether it be in cricket, rugby, swimming, athletics or many, many other sports.

The county has also produced its share of top sport administrators but it’s probably fair to say that no-one from this part of the world has ever held the position currently occupied by club cricketer Rob Sharp.

You see, Sharp, a player of many years standing at Gotherington, is vice-president of the Uruguayan Cricket Association (UCA).

And while that is obviously quite a prestigious title, Sharp is also one of those people who makes things happen. Once he gets an idea he is determined to see it through to fruition.

And that is certainly the case now that he is vice-president of the UCA.

So much so that at a time when most of us will be looking forward to the Christmas festivities he will be heavily involved in two T20 matches he has organised between Uruguay and Argentina which will take place in Buenos Aires on 16th December.

“It’s the 150th anniversary of the first game between the two countries,” said Sharp, a self-employed Cheltenham businessman who lives in Gotherington. “It pre-dates the Ashes.”

These days cricket is more established in Argentina than Uruguay – Argentina are associate members of the ICC and Uruguay are not although Sharp is hopeful that might change in years to come.

Two days after the double-header, Sharp has organised another fixture – this time in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay – when a Uruguay President’s XI will play a Uruguay Invitation XI.

So how did Sharp come to be vice-president of the UCA?

“My wife Alison was born in Montevideo,” the dad of four boys explained. “Her mum was Uruguayan and her dad was English and she came to this country when she was five.

“I used to joke with the boys that the only way they would ever get to play international cricket was through their Uruguayan connection.”

All four boys – Harry, Joe, James and Alistair – are, like their dad, decent cricketers and they will now realise their dream because all of them will play in at least one of the games in South America, possibly along with dad, just before Christmas.

“I started looking into the history of cricket in Uruguay in 2011,” said Sharp. “I found a name of someone nominally responsible for cricket in the country and it’s all gone from there.”

It certainly has and although cricket is still very much the smallest of minority sports in the country, there is a Uruguayan Premier League which is run by a group of techies from India who work in the country. The competition is based on the ever popular IPL – without the money of course!

“It’s played on a bit of scrubland along The Rambla in Montevideo,” added Sharp. “They had very little equipment and played with a tapeball. I got in touch with them and following conversations with my contact who is CEO of Argentine Cricket we arranged an initial trip where they were well looked after by their hosts.

“Now they’re playing in the South American Championship against the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Peru.”

That’s a big step forward and Sharp is determined to see the sport he loves grow further in that part of the world.

Eventually, the aim of the Uruguayan Cricket Association is to become associate members of the ICC but that remains a fair way off yet.

The initial target is just to find enough money to buy a flicx pitch – a rollout, portable artificial cricket wicket – and spread the word about the great game that is cricket by taking it into the schools.

“The MCC has donated some surplus equipment and we’re hoping to raise more money,” added Sharp, who, as you’d imagine, is a big fan of Uruguay.

“It’s a beautiful country,” he said. “It’s squeezed in between Brazil and Argentina and their population is about three and a half million. It’s got some lovely coastline, quite a lot of agriculture, and a well known second city on the coast, Punta Del Este, that is known as the St Tropez of Uruguay.

“But if you go to Montevideo it’s very different. There are high-tech business parks nearby, the city and beaches are very close to each other – it’s a bit like Sydney in that respect.”

Sharp’s enthusiasm for all things Uruguay is matched by his enthusiasm for all things cricket.

He’s been opening the batting for Gotherington for many, many years and over the past five or six years has also started playing for Gloucestershire’s over-50s side.

“I play in the A team which is the second team,” he said. “Ex-professional players like Tony Wright, Mark Alleyne and Simon Hinks play in the first team.

“It’s decent cricket. The other weekend we went down to play in Cornwall. I left the house at 7.30am and didn’t get back until 12.15 the following morning!

“That’s quite a commitment but the opportunity to play some competitive cricket on decent grounds with a good bunch of team-mates is a real bonus especially as you get older.”

The games in Uruguay and Argentina in December will require even more travelling than that of course but, says, Sharp, “the prospect is an exciting one”.