Inter Insular #22 1973

The match was played at College Field, Guernsey
on Saturday 11th August 1973
for the Players Gold Leaf Trophy
Umpires K G Clayton (Guernsey) and Dr R L Osment (Jersey)
Scorers J J Henry (Guernsey) and H W Hall (Jersey)
Toss won by Guernsey who elected to bat
Match drawn

Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Jersey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
A C TaylorcConwaybHird15-4120Hird8128103483.5
R B MasonstPoreebJones58-10810Conway62260024.3
M C C WebbercWarrenbJones50-9340Warren80310003.9
*R W MillscHirdbJones16-2610Jones2256150026.42.8
A C K DaystPoreebLe Cras7-1400Weedon60240004.0
W E R BarrettbJones20-2610Le Cras13059200394.5
P L Le Cocqnotout44-6160
J L Le LievrecPoreebJones0-300
+†M A Fooksrunout17-2400
G A CallawaystPoreebLe Cras1-200
J C Rowerunout1
Extras (b5, lb1, w0, nb5)11
Total (in 63 overs)240
Fall of wickets
1-30(Taylor),2-127(Mason),3-138(Webber),4-153(Mills),5-158(Day),6-184(Barrett),7-188(Le Lievre),8-225(Fooks),9-232(Callaway),10-240(Rowe)

Jersey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
P R Le CrascMasonbBarrett69-65120Rowe12439300243.3
P OsmentbRowe6-4300Callaway83140011.8
M ConwaycLe CocqbBarrett15-2620Barrett1524240022.52.8
D C HuntcFooksbLe Lievre19-4800Le Lievre10138200303.8
A R Theakstonc&bBarrett20-3310Le Cocq5260011.2
*H JonescMillsbBarrett1-500
B PhillipscMillsbRowe3-2400
R HirdstFooksbLe Lievre6-1200
M Weedonnotout0-2700
D K WarrenbRowe0-100
+†R A Poreenotout0-1500
Extras (b0, lb4, w0, nb2)6
Total (for 9 wickets in 50 overs)145
Fall of wickets
1-50(Osment),2-90(Le Cras),3-96(Conway),4-134(Theakston),5-136(Jones),6-136(Hunt),7-144(Hird),8-145(Phillips),9-145(Warren)

PREVIEW

‘Guernsey team is too good to lose’ by John Le Poidevin

Is Guernsey’s cricket team good enough to beat Jersey in tomorrow’s (Sat) inter-island match at College Field and so end a long run in the series without a win. I have too much respect for Jersey cricket to say dogmatically that Guernsey will win. What I will do is forecast that Guernsey’s team is too good to be beaten! It is well armed to dismiss the might of Jersey batting and is perhaps the best bowling side fielded for a number of years. It has the potential to exploit anything that the College Field wicket has to offer. And the batting line-up is such that nothing short of disaster could result in the side being bowled out either cheaply or quickly.

The odds are, as always in this series, stacked high in favour of a draw. There is too much cricket talent in the islands to forecast anything but a draw. The match could be won by either side only if both captains are prepared to go for victory. I said this prior to last year’s match and make no apologies for being repetitive. Simon Hollyer-Hill was skipper of the island team then and he went for victory – yet placed his team in danger of possible defeat if Jersey had shown the batting expertise of his own players. In the event an exciting draw resulted. That’s the gamble each skipper must take. I’m confident that Guernsey’s new captain Ricky Mills will be prepared to make a fighting declaration if his batsmen respond well in the early part of the match. And in Harry Jones Jersey have a man who loves to win!

It all gives promise of a great day’s cricket. Hours of play are 11.30-1.30, 2.10-4.15, 4.35-6.30

Guernsey will miss the batting consistency of Mick Mechem who is out of the island. But let’s look at what he leaves behind. Tony Taylor, the dogged left-handed opening batsman, who will have top be dug out by the Jersey bowlers. He will go in first with ‘new boy’ Dick Mason who, technically is possibly the best batsman in the side. He has shown that he can bridge the gap between Division Two cricket with St Saviour’s and top local afternoon or day cricket. Mike Webber will go in number three and what a daunting thought he will present for the Jersey team – many of whom will have seen his tremendous century against JICC in Jersey last Sunday. Webber has enjoyed a wonderful cricket time in the island in the last few weeks. These three batsmen will be the ones to create a platform for the likes of Mills and Chris Day, both of whom are in great form and well equipped to push along the scoring rate.

Behind these specialists batsmen come the all-rounders Warren Barrett, John Le Lievre and Pierre Le Cocq. Wicket-keeper Mick Fooks and fast bowler Geoff Callaway can also bat.

What of the bowlers? In Callaway and John Rowe the side has a good shock attack with Pierre Le Cocq in support. For the first time, Guernsey have two good spin bowlers with young Le Lievre coming in to join Barrett. And if there is nothing for these five bowlers Mills can lend weight to the attack.

It all sounds pretty formidable but Jersey have some useful players too. They apparently are looking to Warren, a newcomer to the series to cause the sort of havoc wrought by Tony Howeson. Warren is a fast bowler but, I’m told, a bowler of moods. During the Jersey party’s visit there will be a meeting between the two island representatives to discuss the future of the series.

D Mason        J Le Lievre         G Callaway          J Rowe           M Fooks          P Le Cocq            T Taylor           
       W Barrett        M Webber        R Mills        C Day

MATCH

‘Draw again but major honours go to our men’ by John Le Poidevin
There was excitement at the end when Jersey’s last two batsmen hung on grimly to avoid a crushing defeat by Guernsey in the annual inter-island cricket match played in glorious sunshine at College Field yesterday. For four overs every Guernsey fieldsman hovered around the bat seeking the catch which would topple Jersey. It never came and once again the match was drawn.
Guernsey took all the honours. They hit 240 and Jersey were only 145 for nine at stumps. During that last hectic spell Pierre Le Cocq bowled superbly. In the last over of the statutory 20, which began an hour before scheduled stumps, he bowled three deliveries that Jersey’s Mick Weedon was not good enough to touch. But it was the tall John Rowe who made a Guernsey win a possibility when, in a fifth over from the close, he had Brian Phillips brilliantly caught by the diving John Le Lievre at short square leg and then bowled Dave Warren next ball to send Jersey crashing to 145 for nine.
The experienced Weedon and ‘Chummy’ Poree held out to stretch the run of drawn results in the series. Officials of the two islands were due to meet yesterday to discuss ways of ending this trend, but the discussions never took place. Yesterday was another example of the need to give players and spectators the opportunity of a decision from this top match.
Jersey players felt that Ricky Mills, the Guernsey captain, should have declared after getting to the 200 mark. They claimed his decision to continue robbed his team of victory – they did not think they were capable of that total on the College Field wicket. In the event they were quite right. For Jersey fielded the poorest side I have seen in the series! Veteran Phillip Le Cras excepted, their batting was lacklustre – their fielding well below par. But I would have done the same as Mills. One always expects that the might of Jersey is capable of 250 runs in good time.

Get past that!    Ricky Mills in defiant mood               GEP


Guernsey’s early batsmen had given their side an enormous start after Mills had won the toss. Tony Taylor was looking in commanding form and striking beautiful shots before he edged Richard Hird for Mervyn Conway to take a good catch at second slip. The score was 30. Mike Webber joined Dick Mason and these two played some delightful shots – the latter looking uncomfortable only when bowlers attacked short on his legs. They took the score to 127 before Mason was neatly stumped just before lunch having made 58. It was after lunch that Guernsey struggled.
At a time when they were well placed to launch a great onslaught on the Jersey attack they lost wickets. Webber went for 50 and in no time Guernsey were 188 for seven. Pierre Le Cocq, assisted by Mick Fooks, recovered the position and they put on 37 quick runs – Le Cocq hammering boundaries off the all-spin attack of Harry Jones and Le Cras. But Guernsey had lost the initiative they held at lunch. Mills did not have enough runs to declare and in the dash to get them the Guernsey tail disappeared. Guernsey had batted 202 minutes and Jersey were with 90 minutes plus 20 overs.
While Le Cras was at the wicket a win for Jersey was on the cards – with a draw being the most likely outcome. He batted superbly putting bat to ball with confidence and skill. He and Peter Osment – Jersey’s most prolific run-scorer of late – put on 50 for the first wicket; Osment’s contribution being six!

Peter Osment bowled byJohn Rowe         GEP

Le Cras was finally caught deep at square leg by Mason for 69 of a team total of 90 – his runs coming in just over an hour. It was a situation which called for an equally positive approach from other Jersey batsmen so that they could leave themselves needing something like 100 from the last 20 overs. After all they had plenty of wickets in hand. But they did not seem to relish the challenge and were hesitant to attack Warren Barrett and John Le Lievre. Surprisingly wickets tumbled when Jersey had already decided victory was not possible and the match came to life as Guernsey were suddenly presented with a victory chance. They tried hard but a win, which would have been deserved, just eluded them.

Jersey Post had one or two interesting comments to make:
Ray Pearce was selected but was replaced by Richard Hird.
The result was largely decided by mutual incompetence.
As a footnote the match consisted of 38 appeals of which 9 were granted. In the circumstances it is unlikely that Mr Fagg would ever consider coming to the Channel Islands on holiday.