Inter Insular #16 1967

The match was played at College Field, Guernsey
on Thursday 17th August 1967
for the Players Gold Leaf Trophy
Umpires (Guernsey) and F Crumpton (Jersey)
Scorers (Guernsey) and (Jersey)
Toss won by Guernsey who elected to bat
Match drawn

Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Jersey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
S J Hollyer-HillcConwaybKeites48Conway1334603.5
A C BissonbJones35Keites111382333.5
P L Le CocqcPearcebJones2Pearce18535521.61.9
B PrestoncKeitesbPearce44Jones186483362.7
J H Le PoidevincJonesbKeites5
*B A AnthonylbwbPearce9
G F ForteylbwbJones9
R W MillslbwbPearce8
A G ShepherdbPearce4
E C G Enevoldsonnotout2
+†W RobilliardlbwbPearce1
Extras (b, lb, w, nb)7
Total (in 60 overs)174
Fall of wickets
1-56(Bisson),2-72(Le Cocq),3-128(Preston),4-135,5-142,6-151,7-163,8-171,9-171,10-174

Jersey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
D C HuntcPrestonbFortey19Shepherd611202.0
R ThomasbEnevoldson18Le Cocq601702.8
D FauxstRobilliardbEnevoldson18Enevoldson231233434.51.4
D BillinghamstRobilliardbHollyer-Hill37Fortey104251602.5
H JonescShepherdbHollyer-Hill15Mills301304.3
*M ConwaycRobilliardbEnevoldson7Hollyer-Hill92293183.2
D Ardennotout3
M DoddbEnevoldson0
B Le MarquandcEnevoldsonbHollyer-Hill0
R Pearcenotout12
M Keitesdnb
Extras (b, lb, w, nb)5
Total (for 6 wickets in 58 overs)134
Fall of wickets
1-37(Thomas),2-37(Hunt),3-84(Faux),4-104,5-113,6-119,7-119,8-120

PREVIEW

Star

‘Bid to avenge inter-insular cricket defeat’

Guernsey will take the field for tomorrow’s inter-island cricket match determined to do better than in the last two years when the team has missed chances to avenge the heavy defeat suffered in Jersey three years ago. On paper the team looks quite capable of securing victory but few cricket enthusiasts are prepared to go out on a limb and predict a win.

Batting let down both sides last year on a wicket which promised plenty of runs. Jersey relied on its tail to give Guernsey a respectable target – and Guernsey failed to reach it. On current form, Guernsey should not suffer the same failing this year. The team will bat almost down to number 11 but this should not be necessary.

Opener Simon Hollyer-Hill is at his peak currently as he showed when scoring a total of 100 runs against Incogniti last week. He batted competently and sensibly with just the right approach for an inter-island opener. His partner will be Alan Bisson who was seeing the ball well enough in that match to make 40 in his first innings or Frank Fortey who has been used as an opener frequently this season.

Skipper Brian Anthony is the triumphant single wicket winner. He is unlikely to go into the inter-island match with the same all-out aggression but his hard-hitting innings on Sunday must give him supreme confidence. There are plenty of other batsmen who could provide runs although the selectors seem to gambled slightly by choosing John Le Poidevin. He won his place with a fine 64 at the King George V Field just over a week ago and is always potentially a big scorer – and a quick one. It is, perhaps, because of this that he has been named to make a do-or-die effort if quick runs are needed or to snatch the initiative from the Jersey bowlers if they appear to be getting on top.

The bowling is in capable hands. Tony Shepherd is a feared ‘quickie’ who has played a big part in Cobo’s first league championship and Pierre Le Cocq can look after the other end capably. Hollyer-Hill, Mills and Enevoldsen will provide the variety and there are others in the side who can be called upon if necessary.

As in football, however, inter-insulars tend to become dour, determined tussles. If the team can overcome nerves it could produce some delightful play. The weather will dictate this to some extent and the forecast for ‘changeable’ weather is hardly reassuring. All the selected players have reported fit and ready to go and Guernsey’s team will be;

BA Anthony (capt), W Robilliard, S Hollyer-Hill, B Preston, F Fortey, J H Le Poidevin, R Mills, P Le Cocq, A Shepherd, A Bisson, E Enevoldsen. Play will start at 11.30am at the College Field.

MATCH

Press

‘Stalemate in inter-island cricket. It’s a draw for the third year running’ by Dave Prigent

Inter-island cricket has reached a stalemate. Yesterday’s annual Guernsey v Jersey match at the College Field was drawn for the third year in succession – and it was a keenly-balanced tussle throughout which rarely offered the promise of a decision. Guernsey did not dominate for long enough with the bat to make victory anything but a rather distant hope, and Jersey’s reply was no more decisive, although they had come to Guernsey with a side which was mooted as their strongest for many years.

The College Field itself played a big part in reducing the match to an almost certain draw from early in the day, for the wicket was ‘dead’ after heavy overnight rain and never dried out enough to offer any help to the fast bowlers. It played some queer tricks after lunch, and helped Guernsey’s spin bowlers later, but when the crunch came it was not lively enough to allow the bowlers to shift batsmen who were determined to dig in.

The toss seemed a good one to win and Brian Anthony put Guernsey in to bat with hopes high. Simon Hollyer-Hill and Alan Bisson made a workmanlike job of opening the innings. Bisson was all set to push the score along after they had seen off the first 45 minutes and he began to open his shoulders. Just as the run rate came up to one a minute a ball from Jones turned late and sharply from outside the stumps …and Bisson began the long walk back to the pavilion having hit 35 of the first 56 runs,

It was a sad blow to Guernsey for Pierre Le Cocq never looked like scoring let alone scoring freely just at the time when the island needed a batsman to take the initiative,

After Le Cocq’s dismissal Bryan Preston filled that gap. He lived dangerously but he lived excitingly and the runs came at a cracking pace as he let loose. He had one amazing ‘life’ when a misunderstanding led to two fieldsmen leaving a ‘dolly’ catch to a mythical Richard whose name the captain had shouted. By the time the ball dropped between them Preston was stranded three-quarters of the way down the wicket – and while both still waited for ‘Richard’ to do something he had time to scramble back and regain his crease. Thanks to Preston’s fine knock which included a mighty six into the King’s Road trees and Hollyer-Hill’s good backing at the other end Guernsey reached lunch in the satisfactory position of 128 for 2(sic), Preston being caught in the last over.

A roller was put over the wicket during the lunch break to the surprise of the Guernsey captain and team and this may have been part of the reason for Guernsey’s failure afterwards. Batsmen found it almost impossible to get the ball away and it ‘popped’ or stayed low often enough to keep them in trouble. No-one lasted long and after thoughts of a declaration at about 200 Guernsey flopped to 174 all out, Ray Pearce having claimed five with his medium cutters.

Jersey’s target was 175 runs in 155 minutes and with the outfield playing much faster under the drying sun it seemed well within their reach.

Hunt and Thomas opened quietly and never came up to their target although the wicket was docile as Tony Shepherd and Pierre Le Cocq laboured in vain for 10 overs. Skipper Anthony brought on Ted Enevoldson and Frank Fortey for an over each before tea and Enevoldson made his last two balls turn very sharply.

A breakthrough after tea seemed likely and it came when Enevoldson brought one back to bowl Thomas. Hunt followed in the next over but Faux and Billingham stopped a possible collapse. They took no chances, however, and were satisfied to score off the occasional loose ball – and there were few of these. They stayed together until less than an hour was left but the score was only 84 when Robilliard stumped Faux off Enevoldson. Hollyer-Hill came on to tempt the Jerseymen and in the next half hour five more wickets fell. With 22 minutes to go and only two tail-enders left Guernsey seemed to have a chance of pulling it off. It was a vain hope. Arden continued to present a straight bat at one end and Pearce survived at the other providing some light relief by opening his shoulders three of four times to Hollyer-Hill.

Enevoldson claimed 3 for 9 in the last 12 overs of a long spell, his last eight overs being maidens – but Guernsey could not force a win.

Major M. Manchester thanked the makers of Players Gold Leaf cigarettes for sponsoring the match and introduced Mr N. Wheadon of the Guernsey Tobacco Co. to present the Gold Leaf Trophy to the two captains.

Brian Anthony and Mervin Conway receive the Gold Leaf Trophy from N Wheadon                       GEP

REVIEW

Press

‘What negative cricket! Jersey were content to play out time’ by Dave Prigent

Jersey stand indicted as the main culprits in Thursday’s inconclusive draw, the third in succession in annual inter-island cricket. They persistently refused to accept a challenge and seemed content to play out time instead of fighting for a decision.

The Guernseymen are not entirely blameless but their fault lies not in a negative approach to the game as much as in the inability to carry through their design. Perhaps it is just as well that they did not achieve their target with the bat. Well-placed at one stage with 128 runs from the first two hours and seven wickets still in hand, they were thinking in terms of a total better than 200 in three hours with the bat.

Middle order failures put this out of reach due largely to the vagaries of the drying wicket and they had to be content with 174 leaving Jersey what seemed like a comfortable stretch of 155 minutes in which to get them.

The much-vaunted Jersey side was claimed as the best they have fielded for many years but it did not live up to the praise. Openers Hunt and Thomas did a good job during the first 20 minutes or so but they never came out of their shells enough to approach the run rate they needed, They should have scored freely against a speed attack which was blunted by the unresponsive wicket, although Tony Shepherd put his heart into his last three overs and at least gave the impression of being hostile. The dismissals of the openers after the tea break brought star batsman Billingham to the wicket with Faux and it was reasonable for them to take a look at the bowling before opening up. But apart from punishing the odd loose ball which Frank Fortey bowled in a very accurate spell they gave no sign of aggression. For a time the spectators computed the time left with the runs needed and wondered when the Jersey pair would open up and chase them. They never did and the breakthrough, less than an hour before stumps, left Jersey in a hopeless position.

It is to Guernsey’s credit that they took six wickets in that last hour when a draw was the best Jersey could reasonably expect. Skipper Anthony was wise to let Hollyer-Hill loose with his tempting variations of pace, flight although it was a move he might have made earlier. Taken all round, however, Jersey must shoulder the bulk of the blame. They had almost as long as Guernsey and they had a much faster outfield. The runs were there for the taking – but were not brave enough top seek them.