ICC WCL Division 5 Singapore 2012

Cayman Islands v Guernsey

on Saturday 25th February 2012

Guernsey won by 1 run

Man-of-the-match  D Hooper

Guernsey innings					Runs	Balls	Mins	4s	6s	SR		Cayman Islands bowling	Ov	Mdn	Runs	Wkts	W	Nb	SR	ER
G H Smit	lbw		b	Wright	5	15		1	0	33.3		Wright	10	0	42	1	5	1	60	4.2
T J Ravenscroft	c	Bovell	b	Taylor	0	2		0	0	0.0		Taylor	10	0	50	4	9	1	15	5.0
J D J Frith	lbw		b	Taylor	57	81		4	0	70.4		Bovell	8.2	1	41	3	5	3	16	4.9
*S E Le Prevost			b	Taylor	20	42		2	0	47.6		Morris	9	1	29	1	1	1	54	3.2
A Biggins	lbw		b	Bazil	3	24		0	0	12.5		Bazil	10	3	13	1	1	-	60	1.3
R Kneller	c	Wright	b	Taylor	4	7		0	0	57.1
L B Ferbrache	c	Hoilett	b	Bovell	5	17		0	0	29.4
D Hooper	st	Willis	b	Morris	17	48		1	0	35.4
†T C R Kimber			b	Bovell	5	13		1	0	38.5
S R M Bisson	not	out			21	37		2	0	56.8
G J Rich	lbw		b	Bovell	0	3		0	0	0.0
Extras (b3, lb8, w32, nb6)					49
Total (in 47.2 overs)					186
Fall of wickets
1-1(Ravenscroft),2-45(Smit),3-118(Le Prevost),4-123(Frith),5-129(Kneller),6-131(Biggins),7-135(Ferbrache),8-151(Kimber),9-184(Hooper),10-186(Rich)

Cayman Islands innings					Runs	Balls	Mins	4s	6s	SR		Guernsey bowling	Ov	Mdn	Runs	Wkts	W	Nb	SR	ER
S C Gordon	c	Hooper	b	Bisson	0	6		0	0	0.0		Bisson	10	3	38	2	-	-	30	3.8
A E Hall	c	Kimber	b	Hooper	23	25		2	2	92.0		Smit	7	1	26	0	-	-		3.7
†O R Willis	c	Ravenscroft	b	Frith	9	57		1	0	15.8		Hooper	10	0	47	5	4	-	11	4.9
R A Sealy	lbw		b	Hooper	0	2		0	0	0.0		Frith	10	5	22	1	-	-	60	2.2
*A Hoilett	c	Kimber	b	Hooper	2	10		0	0	20.0		Rich	10	2	29	1	2	-	60	2.9
P I Best	c	Ravenscroft	b	Rich	79	97		10	4	81.4		Ravenscroft	3	0	14	0	2	-		4.7
C Wright	c	Ferbrache	b	Hooper	39	77		1	1	50.6
K F Bazil	c	Le Prevost	b	Bisson	2	8		0	0	25.0
R D Bovell	run	out		(Biggins/Bisson)	5	7		0	0	71.4
T Taylor			b	Hooper	7	10		1	0	70.0
A Morris	not	out			0	0		0	0
Extras (b6, lb3, w10, nb0)					19
Total (in 49.5 overs)					185
Fall of wickets
1-0(Gordon),2-39(Hall),3-40(Sealy),4-41(Hoilett),5-59(Willis),6-148(Best),7-153(Bazil),8-164(Bovell),9-181(Wright),10-185(Taylor)

MATCH

‘The happy ending’ by Gareth Le Prevost

AN AMAZING one-run victory on the penultimate ball gave Guernsey third place in Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five.

Man-of-the-match David Hooper was the star, holding his nerve to claim two wickets in the final over off which the Cayman Islands needed eight for victory. That brace was part of a five-wicket haul for the 20-year-old, who finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker on 17. ‘Very nervous,’ was Hooper’s honest reaction to his feelings at the start of the final over. ‘When the skipper called my name, I thought just stick to what I know which is slower balls and yorkers. ‘The yorkers did not turn out exactly as I wanted, but the slower ball did,’ he added, referring to the final wicket when he bowled Troy Taylor Hooper was helped by a stunning catch on the boundary from Ben Ferbrache earlier in the over, clasping the ball above his head when it was going for six. ‘We would not have been on the pitch for that final ball had Ben Ferbrache not taken that catch,’ Hooper admitted. ‘It is fantastic for our team to come third in the tournament, we played some solid cricket and hopefully we can improve for the next Division Five event.’ The match also marked the end of an era as Gary Rich retired from island cricket having made his debut back in 1989. ‘I’m pretty happy with that as a way to go out,’ he said.

‘Super-duper end for all-rounders’

‘SUPER-DUPER’ Dave Hooper lived up to his nickname on Saturday to win a last-over thriller for Guernsey in Singapore. The 20-year-old, who finished as the top wicket-taker in Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five with 17 to his name, held his nerve to claim two wickets in the final over which Cayman Islands had begun needing eight runs for victory and third place. It was simply an incredible finale to the third/fourth play-off. With the dangerous Conroy Wright on strike, Hooper conceded two runs out to wide long on off his first delivery, meaning one big blow would win the game for the batting side. It then looked for all money as if Wright had provided it as the next ball flew flat towards long off and would have carried the rope comfortably until Ben Ferbrache, running around and leaping to his right, intercepted it and took a brilliant catch. Guernsey’s brief jubilance lasted a mere few seconds as Troy Taylor smacked the next ball through point for four – two required off three balls. There was more drama on the next ball as wicketkeeper Tom Kimber appealed for a catch behind, but the batsman had hit the ground as another full ball passed him – two to win off two. Then Hooper produced the perfect slower ball that beat Taylor all ends up, clipped the base of off stump and Hooper was off, looking for the nearest teammate with who to celebrate. He did not have to wait long because within seconds he was engulfed by all of them. And yet for so much of the chase, the Cayman Islands’ progression had been fairly pedestrian as the loss of early wickets caused them to take stock.

Dave Hooper receives his man-of-the-match award

Stuart Bisson had struck in his first over, with who else but Hooper taking a fine catch in the covers, and then Hooper claimed three scalps in quick succession to reduce the opposition to 41 for four. Jeremy Frith then took the one wicket of his excellent 10 overs with Cayman Islands still 128 runs short of their target. However, an innings of real class from veteran Pearson Best, who made 79 from 97 balls with 10 fours and four sixes and also gave a master-class in how to make the most of a batting powerplay, brought the batting side right back into the game and made them favourites at the death. Perhaps it was fitting, though, that the man to remove him was Guernsey stalwart Gary Rich, playing his final representative game for the island with Best his final wicket, Tim Ravenscroft taking a great catch in the covers. Towards the death, Bisson was reintroduced and picked up his second wicket before Andy Biggins effected a run out with a pinpoint flat throw from the deep to set up that dramatic ending.

At the start of the day, Guernsey had been given a rapid warning that the pitch would provide a different proposition against the Cayman Islands attack than Kallang had done 24 hours earlier. GH Smit had a few deliveries flying past his nose in the opening over and when Ravenscroft attempted a hook shot in the second, the ball rushed onto him and he lobbed a catch to mid on. His replacement Frith looked good, though, enjoying the challenge as he and Smit added 44 for the second wicket with the South African contributing just five of those before he padded up to a ball that nipped back and trapped him leg before. Stuart Le Prevost was then given an early life, dropped at slip following a thick edge, but he also looked good once in and he and Frith added 73 together, stroking some delightful boundaries in among their bread-and-butter singles. But when the skipper went, bowled by a delivery of close to yorker length which went under his bat as he looked to drive, the wheels started to come off. The unlucky Frith, who had made a fine 57, followed shortly afterwards to a highly questionable leg before decision – the ball looking to be sliding well down leg side. Ross Kneller was next to go, the victim of an outstanding one-handed catch in the covers, and then it was Biggins, the recipient of another dubious leg before decision.

Ferbrache and Kimber joined the collapse too, making it 151 for eight, leaving Hooper and Bisson to salvage something for their team. They did a decent job, with 17 and an unbeaten 21 respectively, joining in a valuable ninth-wicket stand of 33 before Hooper came down the wicket to spinner Morris and walked passed the ball for an easy stumping. Rich then quickly became the third victim of a harsh lbw call as the innings ended with 2.4 overs still remaining.