ICC WCL Div 6 Essex

 Guernsey v Fiji
on Monday 7th September 2015
at Castle Park Cricket Ground, Colchester, Essex
Toss won by Fiji who chose to field
Umpires: AA Baig (Ireland) and Sarika Prasad (Singapore), 3rd umpire R Black (Ireland)
Match referee: GF Labrooy (Sri Lanka)
Guernsey won by 188 runs
Man of the match: OE Newey (Guernsey)

Guernsey innings			R	B	4s	6s	SR		Fiji bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
MWR Stokes	c Ravoka	b Manakiwai	0	2	0	0	0		V Manakiwai	6	0	39	2	6.5	(2nb, 5w)
JNL Wilkes-Green		b Manakiwai	0	2	0	0	0		Imran Khan	8	0	53	2	6.62	(7w)
OE Newey	not out		129	148	7	0	87.16		J Wesele	10	0	65	1	6.5	(3w)
TJ Ravenscroft	c Ravoka	b Yabaki	74	63	9	2	117.46		Riyad Khan	6	0	35	0	5.83
TW Nightingale	c Ravoka	b Kida	36	59	2	0	61.01		V Yabaki	10	0	37	1	3.7
LB Ferbrache		b Wesele	20	20	1	1	100		J Kida	10	0	55	1	5.5
DR Hooper		b Imran Khan	2	2	0	0	100
JC Martin†	c Riyad Khan	b Imran Khan	4	6	0	0	66.66
JAJ Nussbaumer*	not out		0	0	0	0	-
WN Fazakerley	dnb
MLA Ellis	dnb
Extras	(lb 3, w 17, nb 2)		22
Total	(for 7 wickets in 50 overs)		287	(at 5.74 rpo)
Fall of wickets 1-0 (Stokes, 0.2 ov), 2-2 (Wilkes-Green, 2.2 ov), 3-111 (Ravenscroft, 20.3 ov), 4-196 (Nightingale, 39.5 ov), 5-256 (Ferbrache, 46.5 ov), 6-263 (Hooper, 47.4 ov), 7-275 (Martin, 49.1 ov)

Fiji innings			R	B	4s	6s	SR		Guernsey bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
JF Rika*	c Stokes	b Fazakerley	17	41	2	0	41.46		MWR Stokes	7	1	14	0	2	(4w)
J Kida	c Stokes	b Newey	6	28	0	0	21.42		OE Newey	5	2	6	1	1.2
G Smith		b Ravenscroft	16	38	1	0	42.1		WN Fazakerley	5	0	27	1	5.4	(2w)
M Beitaki	c Martin	b Nussbaumer	6	12	0	0	50		JAJ Nussbaumer	4	1	7	1	1.75
R Lesuma	c Martin	b Ellis	5	19	0	0	26.31		MLA Ellis	8.5	1	17	3	1.92
S Ravoka†		b Ravenscroft	10	20	1	0	50		TJ Ravenscroft	8	3	21	4	2.62
V Yabaki	c Martin	b Ellis	0	3	0	0	0
J Wesele	c Ferbrache	b Ravenscroft	20	22	3	0	90.9
Riyad Khan	lbw	b Ravenscroft	5	24	0	0	20.83
Imran Khan	not out		1	10	0	0	10
V Manakiwai	lbw	b Ellis	0	10	0	0	0
Extras	(b 3, lb 4, w 6)		13
Total	(in 37.5 overs)		99	(at 2.61 rpo)
Fall of wickets 1-20 (Kida, 7.6 ov), 2-32 (Rika, 13.4 ov), 3-41 (Beitaki, 16.3 ov), 4-60 (Smith, 22.5 ov), 5-60 (Lesuma, 23.1 ov), 6-60 (Yabaki, 23.4 ov), 7-78 (Ravoka, 28.4 ov), 8-93 (Wesele, 32.6 ov), 9-98 (Riyad Khan, 34.6 ov), 10-99 (Manakiwai, 37.5 ov)

A FIRST century in Guernsey colours from Ollie Newey helped the national side begin their ICC World Cricket League Six campaign with a comprehensive victory yesterday. The all-rounder made a brilliant 129 not out against Fiji at the Castle Park Sports Ground in Colchester as Guernsey confirmed their status as top seeds in Group A with a 188- run win. However, it was far from plain sailing early on as they were reduced to 2 for 2 inside the opening 14 balls of the match after Fiji won the toss and elected to bowl on an overcast morning, which offered assistance to their new-ball attack. But then Newey came together with Tiro Ravenscroft, who made a superb 74 in what was arguably his best knock yet for Guernsey, and they put on 109 for the third wicket that set their side up for victory, easily defending 287 as they bowled out Fiji for just 99. ‘They bowled well up top, got a couple of early wickets, but after that we came back really strongly and once we got on top, we stayed there the whole way through,’  said man-of-the-match Newey. ‘Tiro and I just said let’s not lose any more wickets straight away, let’s build for 10 overs and just bat. We managed to do that well and their bowling started to drop off once the change bowlers came on.

‘Batting with Ravo made my job easier because he scores at such a good rate that he allowed me play myself in. I just wanted to keep rotating the strike, let others bat around me and play the anchor role. ‘It’s a brilliant start to the tournament, but as Jamie Nussbaumer said to us afterwards, it was a great day, we’ll enjoy it, but we have got to do it again tomorrow.’

Castle Park ground at Colchester

‘Third wicket pair put the Greens on the winning road’      by Gareth Le Prevost

AT 10.40 yesterday morning, the chances of Guernsey opening their ICC World Cricket League Six campaign with a 188-run victory looked remote. The hero of the inter-insular Matt Stokes and his opening partner James Wilkes-Green were both back in the hutch without troubling the scorers and the Fiji- an attack were threatening to do more damage under overcast skies at Castle Park Sports Ground in Colchester.

However, two quality innings, several other useful contributions with the bat and a dominant performance in the field later, Fiji had been brushed aside by a young team whose maturity continues to belie their years.

Admittedly, though, on this occasion it was two of the more experienced members of the squad who did the business in the way that Nic Pothas had asked of his senior players before heading to Essex, with Tim Ravenscroft and man-of-the-match Ollie Newey outstanding in both temperament and technique to set up this win. Guernsey had got off to a truly horrid start after Josefa Rika had won the toss, with both openers suffering second-ball ducks. After safely watching the first ball of the match pass harmlessly by his stumps, Matt Stokes nicked Viliame Manakiwai’s next delivery when playing a forward defence, giving wicketkeeper Sekove Ravoka a regulation catch. That dismissal brought Newey to the crease and it was not long before he was being joined in the middle by Ravenscroft after James Wilkes-Green had his castle knocked over by a full Manakiwai delivery.

However, the third-wicket pair then put together an outstanding partnership of 109 in less than 19 overs as Newey took on the anchor role while Ravenscroft played in typically positive and assertive style.

The former Hampshire man’s timing was impressive from the outset and although he was taking few risks, the run-rate was well in excess of five-an-over as he found the boundary with regularity. He launched opening left-arm seamer Imran Khan for six over long on with a degree of contempt and he then greeted left-arm spinner Riyad Khan with successive fours through long off. By now it was obvious that all the momentum had swung Guernsey’s way as Fiji were becoming ragged in the field and demoralised as they chased leather.

Together, Newey and Ravenscroft were giving Guernsey a great platform on which to build a winning total and it came as something of a shock to everyone when Ravenscroft got a feather on a delivery from spinner Viliame Yabaki and Ravoka held on to a juggled catch at the second attempt. The batsman had made 74 from just 63 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes in his stay that ended in only the 21st over of the 50. By now, though, Newey was well set and, together with 17-year-old Tom Nightingale, continued the good work as they took the game away from the Fijians by pressurising the fielders with excellent running punctuated by the odd boundary that kept the scoreboard moving at a decent rate. When Nightingale departed for 36, getting a nick behind off medium pacer Jikoi Kida the delivery immediately after a change of ball, Guernsey were well set to attack the final 10 overs at 196 for four. With Newey then taking the lead role, they did just that, scoring at nine an over that concluding period. In was during his fifth-wicket stand of 60 with Ben Ferbrache that Newey brought up a magnificent century with a drive for two to long off, but he did not stop there and was to finish up 129 not out from 148 balls, hitting seven fours. [Ed – this was the highest individual score by a Guernsey player and the first since 2009]

Ollie Newey celebrating his hundred

Ferbrache made a useful run-a- ball 20 before perishing in the late push for runs, having his middle stump removed as he attempted a scoop shot, and David Hooper quickly followed him back to the pavilion, dragging one on from Imran Khan who had returned to finish off from the river end. Jason Martin went in the final over as he did not quite get enough on his ramp shot to clear short fine leg, but Newey added a dozen from the final five deliveries to finish things in style.

It was going to take a couple of big innings from their top order if Fiji were to get anywhere near chasing down their opposition’s total, but that never materialised. Stokes and Newey kept things in check early on before they combined to make the initial breakthrough in the eighth over, Newey drawing the edge from Kida with Stokes taking a good catch low down at second slip. Guernsey then turned to the firepower of Will Fazakerley and captain Nussbaumer to pick up the next two wickets, with Stokes again in the action to take a well-judged catch at fine leg to get rid of Rika before the skipper had Metuisela Beitaki caught behind. The Fiji middle order did not fancy the pace of the two quicks, but it was spin twins Ravenscroft and Max Ellis who wrapped up the remainder of the wickets. Giles Smith played across – and missed – a straight one to give off-spinner Ravenscroft the first of his four wickets before left-armer Ellis struck twice in one over with Martin taking the catches to remove both Rabici Lusema and Yabaki. Fiji lost their final seven wickets for just 39 runs, 20 of which came via lusty blows from the burly Jone Wesele, with Ellis wrapping things up as he trapped Manakiwai plumb in front with a full delivery that struck the No. 11 on the boot in front of middle.