ICC World Cricket League  Division 5  Malaysia 2014

Date	Team	TBC
Thu 6th March	Cayman Islands	League
Fri 7th March	Nigeria	League
Sun 9th March	Tanzania	League
Mon 10th March	Malaysia	League
Wed 12th March	Jersey	League
Thu 13th March	Cayman Islands Playoff	Playoff

Guernsey has a “reasonable” chance of hosting next year’s World Cricket League Division Five tournament.

The chief executive of the Guernsey Cricket Board, Mark Latter, says the island has formally put in a bid to host the event next summer.

Guernsey face Cayman Islands, Malaysia, Tanzania and the top two from Division Six, which is held in Jersey this year.

Guernsey last hosted a world tournament in 2009 when they were promoted from World Cricket League Division Seven.

Both Tanzania and Malaysia have also hosted events, the African nation had the WCL Division Four tournament in 2008 and Malaysia hosted Division Six in 2011.

Cayman Islands has never hosted an event but has just two cricket pitches, while Guernsey has a good track record of hosting major events.

The island has also played host to the 2008 and 2010 European Division Two tournaments and jointly hosted Division One of theEuropean Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers with Jersey.

Every World Cricket League tournament is hosted by one of the teams that are playing in it and Latter feels Guernsey is the best placed nation.

“We’re one in four and we’d be disappointed if we failed,” he said. “In terms of the island economy there’s a serious amount of money spent in terms of airlines, hotels, shops and restaurants. “We’ve had to confirm to the ICC details of our facilities, potential costs, contingencies, training facilities and security. and an element of budget along side that.

“But it’s  a big event and I’m sure all the other players would want to host it as well.”

Guernsey Press September 2013 by Rob Batiste
Guernsey Cricket Board chief executive Mark latter said the facilities local cricket enjoys at the ICG Centre will be vital as Nic Pothas prepares the national side for the late winter World Cricket League Division Five tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
‘We are pleased to get the dates for ICC WCL5 confirmed and can now get down to some serious preparation for Malaysia,’ said the CEO. ‘Playing out of season in the humidity of Malaysia is going to be a huge challenge to the team, however, it is a place we know. ‘All we can do is focus on getting ourselves as best prepared as possible and not look for all the reasons why it might be difficult. ‘Once again the value of access to superb indoor facilities at the ICG, thanks to the massive support of Jon Ravenscroft, will be truly beneficial.’ The dates of the tournament have now been confirmed as 6 to 13 March.
After the disappointment of the Marlborough Trust inter-insular last month, director of cricket Pothas will be looking for a reaction at the tournament where again they will come across Jersey. ‘Success will be staying in ICC WCL5, but we go there with the intention of winning all our games,’ said Mark Latter. This is international sport and the demands reflect that and we would have it no other way.’

The last two places in the division, apart from Guernsey, Cayman Islands, Tanzania and Malaysia are the qualifiers from division 6 – Jersey and Nigeria.

‘ Frith out, Savs in’     by Rob Batiste in Guernsey Evening Press on Tuesday 21st January 2104

JEREMY FRITH will miss Guernsey’s World Division Five mission to Malaysia in March, but former county star Lee Savident seems set to return. Nic Pothas, the island’s director of cricket, yesterday named a provisional 18-man squad for the tournament which runs from 6-13 March, but star man Frith has made himself unavailable for personal reasons. Under ICC guidelines Pothas will trim the group by four on 6 February. The squad has a fresh and youthful look about it and Pothas is excited by its potential, promising his teams will be as fit as any of their five rivals – Malaysia, Cayman Islands, Tanzania, Jersey and Nigeria. ‘It’s been a very productive winter and I am very happy at how the players have progressed through much hard work: he said. ‘The squad has a very youthful look to it which aligns with us striving to be the best fielding team at the tournament as well as the fittest and most mobile. ‘It goes without saying that the skill element is vital to winning games of cricket and I am pleased with the development of all squad members to this end. ‘It is an honour to represent your country and therefore, as always, there will be players who will be disappointed not to make the final 14. How the unlucky few react to this will be key to their future progress.’

Mark Latter, GCB chief executive, said: ‘It is great to see the junior players now coming into the set-up, some now becoming established members. ‘The dressing room will also contain a number of old heads who will be taking part in their third or fourth ICC World Cricket League.’

18-MAN GUERNSEY SQUAD:

Jamie Nussbaumer, Will Peatfield, Zak Damarell, Matthew Stokes, Lee Savident, Tom Kimber, Max Ellis, Ben Ferbrache, Barker, Ollie Newey, Oliver Nightingale, Adam Martel, Jordan Martel, Jason Martin, James Gale, David Hooper, Luke Le Tissier and Matthew Breban.

Head coach: Nic Pothas. Manager: Mark Latter. Strength & Conditioning coach: Andy Perkins

‘Pothas backs his young guns to fire’         by Rob Batiste

NIC POTHAS has named his 14 for the vital ICC Pepsi WCL Division Five tournament in Malaysia in a month’s time, with the director of cricket confirming it as ‘the most difficult selection since I’ve been on the island’. Pothas had named an initial squad of 18 a few weeks back but ahead of this week’s ICC-imposed selection deadline he has cut the Martel brothers, Adam and Jordan, batsman Oliver Nightingale and young wicketkeeper Jason Martin from the squad. The demanding former South African ODI player and long-serving Hampshire professional admits the decision was not easy, but was relaxed in making the calls. ‘As difficult as it is to tell them they aren’t going, it’s easy enough to justify because they have seen those who are going work so hard alongside them. ‘They also understand that there as got to be an end result.’ In what is probably the youngest squad Guernsey has ever sent to an ICC tournament, Lee Savident is the oldest at 37 and also the only player over 30, while Luke Le Tissier is the youngest at just 17. 

Luke Le Tissier

The off-spinner enjoyed a break-through summer in 2013 which ended in him making the final 13 for the inter-insular. In the absence of Jeremy Frith and part-time off-spinners Tim Ravenscroft, GH Smit and Ross Kneller, the shortfall in spin options played into young Le Tissier’s hands and it seems very likely he will share the spin duties with left-armer Max Ellis.

Guernsey are still in the early stages of rebuilding a senior national team after the retirement of several key players who were part of the triumphant World Division Six team in Malaysia in 2011. Pothas fully recognises that, but says it is time for them to deliver, ‘It is young and inexperienced but we make up for it with our fitness and commitment. ‘I’m confident and I have full faith in the 14 going out to represent Guernsey. I think the players themselves need to believe that they are good cricketers.’ Team spirit is strong, he says, while recognising that the rebuilding work is still at an early stage. ‘As a squad of 20 we have been tight for a long time now.’ ‘I still think we are pretty much in phase one. ‘Last year was about understanding what the standards are. The guys have got that now and now we can add meat to the bone and start churning out the performances.

‘I am my own worst enemy because I always expect more, but I can’t fault anyone for the effort that has been made, working five days a week. ‘The effort and commitment has been faultless and I have no doubt it will bear fruit.’ It promises to be a tough tournament where the top two sides win promotion, the bottom two are relegated and the middle two stay where they are. On their home patch Malaysia promise to be strong, newly-promoted Jersey appear more advanced in their own rebuilding, while Cayman Islands are old foes of the Sarnians, Tanzania will want to get back into Division Four and Nigeria were runners-up to Jersey in gaining promotion from Division Six. Pothas is not setting any specific result targets but, in terms of match performances, he has clear objectives. ‘To be the best fielding side and I want an 80 partnership and a 50 partnership per innings and a run out per innings [in the field). ‘When we bat we want to churn out a minimum 80 singles per innings and on two occasions a bowler to take a wicket in his first over. ‘If you are ticking these boxes in one game – and they are not team outcome goals, they are process goals – if you do them and still don’t win then the other team has
had to play very well to have won.’

Squad:
Jamie Nussbaumer (Capt), Will Peatfield, Zak Damarell, Matt Stokes, Lee Savident, Tom Kimber, Max Ellis, Ben Ferbrache, Lucas Barker, Ollie Newey, James Gale, Dave Hooper, Luke Le Tissier Matt Breban, Coach: Nic Pothas, Manager: Mark Latter

‘Youngest member surprised’`  by Matt Lihou

ONE star man’s absence could be a youngster’s gain as Luke Le Tissier prepares for his first senior international tournament in Guernsey colours. The 17-year-old spinner enjoyed a fine 2013 that saw him named as an unused member of the squad that lost September’s inter-insular to Jersey and he has established himself in Nic Pothas’s plans. Now, he has been called up in the 14 for next month’s World Cricket League Division Five in Malaysia as one of two specialist spinners, the other being Max Ellis.
Le Tissier said it came as a surprise, but that his chances were enhanced after key all-rounder Jeremy Frith made himself unavailable for this particular tournament.

‘To be honest, I didn’t expect to be picked for this tournament, although I knew my chances would increase when Frithy said he wasn’t going’, said Le Tissier. ‘I have working hard over the winter with Skeg [Pothas] on my bowling and also my batting, so if I get a chance now, it is up to me to take it by taking wickets and scoring runs. ‘Hopefully I will get some chances over there and although I’m not sure what the pitches will be like, my aim is to be a wicket taker and that won’t change.’ The chances of Guernsey playing both specialist spinners in certain games could be further enhanced by the lack in number of ‘part-time’ spinners in the team compared to previous years.

However much he features, Le Tissier isn’t getting carried away. ‘Being in this squad doesn’t mean I am definitely selected for future games and tournaments, so I need to carry on working hard. ‘My bowling has improved in the last year a lot, my run-up is completely different now to what it was, so I am improving all the time. ‘I want to be involved with Guernsey for the next few years, but there is plenty of competition for places.’

 

‘Peatfield fit and raring to go for second chance’  by Rob Batiste

IT IS two years since Will Peatfield – full of potential, full of pace – travelled with the Guernsey side to Singapore and was soon reduced to the role of spectator. Injury came at the worst possible time for the young bowling all-rounder and the intervening 18 months have not been a whole lot better. But this week he was named in Nic Pothas’ 14-man squad for World Cricket League Five in Malaysia next month, and the island’s director of cricket had no qualms about picking him after witnessing the former Sherborne College boarder and Cardiff Met University student work his socks off this past winter.

Peatfield, who bowls quickly and is a more than able bat, cannot wait to make up for last time. ‘I’m absolutely ecstatic to be picked, but everybody has put in a good shift this winter. I’m really looking forward to it’, he said. The new Goldridge Griffins signing and Miton Optimal weekend player insists he is back to full fitness after the Singapore injury was followed by more injury woe and time on the sidelines.

Looking back two years ago to Singapore, where Guernsey finished third in the six-team Division Five competition, Peatfield said, ‘I bowled a couple of balls in the warm-up and pulled up injured. ‘It was a massive disappointment.’ He then had knee surgery which kept him out for a whole summer season and last winter managed to tear a quad muscle playing football. He returned to regular cricket midway through the 2013 season and ever since he has not had any problems, steadily building up his fitness. ‘I feel fit and raring to go’, he said. ‘I’ve been working hard with Andy Perkins [the island team’s conditioning coach], who has been absolutely brilliant.’ Now fully up to speed he simply wants to bowl fast, score runs and play his part in a successful tournament for the young Guernsey side. He admits his batting has disappointed of late ‘but I’ve been working well with Nic in one-on-one sessions and it is something I want to kick on with.’

 

‘Hard work pays off for Breban’ by Matt Lihou

A HARD winter of tweaking his bowling action could pay dividends for Matt Breban if he gets the chance to impress in Malaysia next month. Having made it into the Guernsey squad for last summer’s Twenty20 tournament in Sussex, the 21-year-old seam bowler has retained his spot for the upcoming World Cricket League Division Five. It is the first time that Breban has been named to represent his island at senior level in a 50-over tournament and he admitted he faced a nervous wait to see if he had made the final 14.

‘I always thought that I had done enough to make it into the provisional 18-man squad, but was not sure at all whether I would make it into the final 14,’ he said. ‘So while I wasn’t totally surprised at being named, I was half-expecting not to be and it is great I have made it. Now it is up to me to produce performances if I get the chance. ‘There are plenty of options in the team, including batters who can bowl well, but hopefully I get a chance in one of the warm-ups and take it from there.’ Breban, who plays his domestic 50-over cricket for Miton Optimal, had a strong 2013 season in both weekend and evening action, which helped earn his T20 call-up last June. There he played in one group game against Sweden, taking one wicket for 28 runs in his four-over spell, in a comfortable seven-wicket victory for Nic Pothas’ men. Since then, Breban has continued to work on his game and spent much of the winter working alongside Mike Kinder, as well as director of cricket Pothas. ‘We did a lot of video analysis on my bowling and a lot of strength work to tweak my action slightly so that I bowl upright a lot more,’ said Breban. ‘I am also following through a lot straighter now and the tweak in action has helped me in a couple of different ways, including bowling with more consistency. ‘But it should also help me in the future with injuries because the way I was bowling was causing extra strain on my back, which could have brought future problems.’ If he plays in the five-match group stage in Malaysia, Breban will be bowling in conditions alien to him and admitted that patience could be a key in testing times.

‘We have been told that we should try and pitch the ball up as much as possible because if you pull it short, you will get smashed around. ‘Also, a lot of the batters from other teams will play their shots from the very first ball and not take any time at all to get their eye in. ‘So if I bowl a good ball and they play a big shot that gets lucky and goes for four, I just have to remain calm and patient, which is something that doesn’t always come easy to me. ‘That is where Jamie [Nussbaumer, captain] will be key, as will whoever is at mid-on or mid-off, just to have a quiet word as you are walking back your mark and telling you to keep doing what you are doing’.

Despite being relatively new to the Guernsey set-up, like many of his team-mates in a youthful-looking squad, Breban is pleased with how things are going. ‘There is a really good atmosphere in the squad at the moment and everybody wants everybody else to do well, there is no selfishness in there. ‘It is competitive between players, who all want spots in the team, and with the players who haven’t made the final 14 this time they will be fighting even harder to be included next time. ‘But it is a healthy rivalry between players and there is no bitterness between anyone.’

‘Pothas heads to KL in a positive frame of mind’
Goal is ‘win the next ball’ by Matt Lihou

GUERNSEY have been told to ‘back their ability’ as they look to secure promotion from World Cricket League Division Five for the first time next week. The young Sarnian squad, with an average age in the early-20s, travels to Malaysia for the six-nation competition in which Guernsey finished third two years ago.
Since that event in Singapore, only five of the 14 who played in that tournament remain. Therefore, it is a step into the unknown for this team and although director of cricket Nic Pothas has not set any specific public objective for his side, he is confident. ‘Short-term, the goal is always to win the very next ball that you are facing or when in the field, the next ball that you are bowling’, he said. ‘When that is done, it is in the past, you forget about it and focus again on the next one. If you do that successfully, then the end results will take care of themselves. ‘As a team, we are confident of winning going into every game we play and, right now, there is a tremendous team spirit about this group and they are just desperate to play now. ‘They have put a hell of a lot of preparation in and there may be a feeling that they now need to perform to make it worthwhile, but that is the approach you shouldn’t take.
‘Everybody should back their ability and trust the work they have put in, so that when they are out in the middle, they are confident of succeeding.’ Guernsey start their campaign against the Cayman Islands, the side they beat twice in 2012, including a dramatic one-run success in the third-place play-off. As ever, the top two sides from the tournament – which also includes the hosts Malaysia, Jersey, Tanzania and Nigeria – will be promoted into this summer’s Division Four campaign. The middle two will remain for the 2016 Division Five version and the bottom two will be relegated to next year’s Division Six tournament. If this new-look 50-over side are to win games, they will have to do so without the runs and wickets of Jeremy Frith, who chose not to travel to this particular tournament.
Pothas has praised his island’s star player and has now urged the returning Lee Savident to step up to that ‘elite’ performance level group during this tournament.
‘Frithy’s statistics in these tournaments, especially with the bat where he averages around 60, make him an elite player, but his absence isn’t something the squad are talking about. ‘As for Savs, his statistics aren’t on that level and I think that his performances in these tournaments haven’t been on the level that I believe he is capable of and I am sure he would agree with that. ‘His bowling record is very good, but he now needs to produce the performances with the bat regularly that he has the ability to do and hasn’t consistently yet.’ Savident is the only player in the squad over the age of 27 and is one of just a handful of players to know the conditions that they will be up against.
Despite the Guernsey players not having played any competitive games for five months over the winter, Pothas believes his side will adapt quickly and will also be flexible in their approach. He also reckons they will have the element of surprise. ‘The wickets will be quite low and slow, that is what we are expecting, although not as much as in the likes of India and Pakistan, which you would consider proper sub-continent wickets. ‘It may take a few balls for lads to get their eye in, but with the work they have done, it is a challenge I believe they will overcome. ‘In terms of whether we attack during the early powerplay overs or hold back by keeping wickets in hand will depend on the match situation because you don’t want to only have one predictable approach. ‘What is exciting is that none of the other sides are going to really know our players because there are new faces, so that can be a big plus for us.’ Key to whether or not this Guernsey side kick on in the coming weeks, months and years will be their mentality and Pothas knows its importance. He cites last summer’s European T20 campaign in Sussex, when a promising run saw defeats against Italy and Denmark, the latter a thumping semi-final defeat. ‘In that tournament, we won the games we were expected to win and lost the games that, traditionally, people expected us to lose, even though that wasn’t my feeling. ‘Back then, I don’t think the lads truly believed they could beat an Italy or a Denmark, but that has changed now and with not having any experience of failure, it is a positive group.
‘That mentality stretches to our batting as well. We have a team that will bat down to 10 or 11, but that can bring negatives, if everybody leaves it to the next person. ‘So even though it is a long batting order, it is still up to the top order and whoever is in the middle at the time to take the responsibility and play a big innings. ‘In cricket, you can get out between nought and 20 to a good ball, that happens, but we mustn’t be throwing away wickets with reckless shots.’
One of the team’s most experienced players is captain Jamie Nussbaumer, who despite still only being 26, has been the skipper for a year now. He has produced big performances with both bat and ball in previous WCL tournaments, with Pothas praising his on-field leader and the impact he is making in the top job. ‘Jamie’s captaincy over the last year has just got better and better. What he has always had is the respect of the group and they will go to the ends of the earth for him, which is a great attribute to have. ‘Myself and Jamie get on phenomenally well in our roles because despite being different characters, we also have similarities as well. ‘Tactically, he is learning all of the time and in terms of leading the team, he has helped to create a team spirit that is as good as any I have ever known in a dressing room.’