Inter Insular #15 1966

The match was played at the Florence Boot Fields, Jersey
on Thursday 11th August 1966
for the Players Gold Leaf Trophy
Umpires K G Clayton (Guernsey) and F Crumpton (Jersey)
Scorers (Guernsey) and (Jersey)
Toss won by Guernsey who elected to field
Match drawn

Jersey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
M ConwaylbwbShepherd7Shepherd121384183.2
*P O'BrienbShepherd9Le Cocq1433602.6
A BakerbMills30Roussel31802.7
D C HuntbMills10Mills113343223.1
J J HewlettbMills3Bisson101241602.4
D R BillinghambBisson42--41Hollyer-Hill4.427213.21.6
L BecheletcRousselbShepherd4
C BromleycRobilliardbShepherd2
R PearcecAnthonybHollyer-Hill35--50
†+R A PoreelbwbHollyer-Hill5
B Le Geytnotout0
Extras (b, lb, w, nb)9
Total (in 54.4 overs)156
Fall of wickets
1-15(O'Brien),2-16(Conway),3-36(Hunt),4-57(Baker),5-61(Hewlett),6-72(Bechelet),7-74(Bromley),8-151(Billingham),9-153(Pearce),10-156(Poree)

Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Jersey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
A C BissonbBromley18Le Geyt502004.0
S J Hollyer-HillcPoreebBromley24Conway1653702.3
M J MechemcPoreebBromley17Bromley213527182.5
A ConwaycBillinghambPearce15Pearce94221542.4
R C N RousselbBromley3
R C KimbercBecheletbBromley0
B A AnthonybBromley19
P L Le Cocqnotout6
R W MillscConwaybBromley23
A G Shepherdnotout6
*+W Robilliarddnb
Extras (b, lb, w, nb)7
Total (for 8 wickets in 51 overs)138
Fall of wickets
1-34(Bisson),2-63(Mechem),3-71(Hollyer-Hill),4-75(Roussel),5-75(Kimber),6-81(Conway),7-106(Anthony),8-132(Mills)

PREVIEW
Press
‘Net practice sessions should sharpen team for Inter-Insular game’ by John Le Poidevin
Guernsey’s senior cricket team had a strenuous net practice at the College Field on Thursday evening in preparation for their inter-island match against Jersey next Thursday. They will have some match practice in this afternoon’s GICC – GCL match at the College Field and skipper Bill Robilliard is hoping to organise another net early next week. These sessions should sharpen the players appreciably for their duel with Jersey’s best. Guernsey’s team is formidable, especially with regard to batting, but Jersey with home advantage will be confident to make this a hat-trick of senior successes over Guernsey at the FB Fields.
Two years ago Jersey thrashed the Guernsey XI and when the GCL sent down a team of similar strength last season they received the same treatment. Many of the players involved in both those matches will be in the centre again next Thursday so they will have plenty of incentive for revenge. Let’s hope they suffer no feeling of inadequacy!
Good news for the Guernsey party was the form shown in Thursday’s net by Simon Hollyer-Hill. He got knocked around more than a little when playing against Cobo in a recent league match. First he stopped a delivery with an ear, then later was laid low by a delivery which struck him between the eyes. Incidents like this often unnerve a batsman but this apparently has not occurred with Hollyer-Hill. It was his sparkling start that set Guernsey on a glorious run-riot last year. A similar opening would be welcomed by Guernsey supporters next week.
It has been suggested that a trophy would be donated for the inter-island tussle but in fact this has not materialised. Nevertheless Player’s Gold Leaf are sponsoring the Guernsey players on their trip.

MATCH
Press
‘Honours even in inter-insular’ by John Le Poidevin
After, perhaps, the most interesting match in the series, most agreed that a draw was the only fair result from yesterday’s inter-insular cricket encounter between Jersey and Guernsey at the F B Field, Jersey. Fortunes fluctuated with Guernsey looking the more likely winners for most of the six hours’ play in the sweltering heat.
Twice they seemed to have moved into a position where victory was there for the taking… where revenge for that scathing defeat of two years ago was certain to be gained. But twice Jersey dragged themselves off the floor and on the second occasion it was almost into a situation where for them was the most likely outcome. Certainly the match could not have produced more intriguing situations.
Guernsey captain Bill Robilliard set the scene when he won the toss on a good batting wicket and sent the opposition in to bat. He gained good support from his bowlers and suspect Jersey batting also co-operated to the home side’s downfall. At 74 for seven Jersey appeared to be a beaten side. Then came a fine rearguard action after lunch and the score rose to a respectable 156. Guernsey went into the tea interval quite nicely placed, at 42 for one, made in reasonably good time. They continued with confidence afterwards, then suddenly wickets began to fall with such regularity that, with an hour to go, Guernsey were some 60 runs short of their target and had only four wickets in hand. At stumps Guernsey’s score stood at 138 for eight… they had failed to attain a run a minute in that last hour and Jersey’s attack had gained but two successes.
It was Tony Shepherd, bowling a good deal better than in any other inter-island match, who set Jersey on the downward path. He bowled Jersey captain Peter O’Brien after 18 minutes and seven minutes later gained Conway’s wicket. Baker looked unhappy against both Shepherd and Pierre le Cocq, our other opening bowler. He offered a slip chance to Mechem off the latter but the catch was grounded. Guernsey had a West Indies’ style attacking field and several times the ball whipped through the muster of fieldsmen behind the wickets to the boundary. Most of the Jersey runs seemed to come in this manner in the pre-lunch period. Baker and Hunt kept together and the runs came slowly until Hunt lost patience and was bowled by ‘Ricky’ Mills who had replaced Shepherd.
At the other end Robilliard had raised eyebrows by calling on Robin Roussel as first change bowler. Roussel, much better known as a batsman, responded with a maiden but failed to trouble the batsmen in his three overs. It was from Mills’ end that Guernsey were to strike again. Baker was bowled by Mills then, the much vaunted Hewlett was also bowled by the left-arm swing merchant.
Jersey were 61 for five. The pace bowlers were brought back, to further successes. In Shepherd’s first over in this second spell he gained another two wickets. Bechelet edged him to leg and Roussel dived to his left to take a superb catch. Then Robilliard made no mistake when Bromley got a touch. Jersey went into lunch at 84 for seven. Victory was in sight for Guernsey. For a while that is. Dave Billingham, who had batted so well to help the Jersey Cricket League to success over the Guernsey Cricket League, earlier this summer, found a good partner in Ray Pearce. They were never overawed either by the situation or the bowling and played some delightful strokes to take Jersey into a reasonable position. Billingham scored a fine 42 before he was bowled by Bisson and Pearce was 35, when Brian Anthony ended his innings with a lovely catch at short midwicket off the bowling of Simon Hollyer-Hill. Jersey’s dismissal at 156 left Guernsey with almost three hours’ batting – surely a comfortable enough target on a wicket which, despite Jersey’s batting troubles, had not proved to be anything but good for the batsmen.
As always, Bisson and Hollyer-Hill got on with their job when opening for Guernsey and their half-an-hour partnership added 34 runs. It was broken when pace bowler Gordon Bromley was brought on at the top end; the end at which Shepherd and Mills had gained their wickets. Bromley got Bisson with his third delivery and this was the start of a terrific spell of bowling. Soon it was Guernsey’s time to struggle, Mechem, Hollyer-Hill, Roussel and Kimber (out first ball) all fell to Bromley while only 13 runs were scored. Alan Conway looked as if he would prove Guernsey’s match winner but he played rather wildly to be well caught in the covers.
Anthony and Le Cocq had an alternative in that last hour… to go for a win, taking only reasonable risks, or to sit tight. They seemed to fall somewhere between and several valuable minutes went by before Anthony started his attack. His was a good innings, after a shaky start, of 19, and Mills carried on with the best array of strokes by a Guernsey batsman, to score a quick 23.
At the other end though, Le Cocq was not scoring. His 65 minutes at the crease realised only six runs. He may well have earned Guernsey this draw… and, at the same time, his failure to get to grips with his game could have cost victory. One will never know.

In the Jersey Post there was a lovely image created by this report:
Mills was caught by M Conway who had time to hitch up his trousers and carefully wipe his hands before holding a tremendous skier.