Inter Insular #45 1996

Scheduled for 11th August but postponed due to a waterlogged pitch
The match was played at Grainville, Jersey
on Sunday 1st September 1996
for the Tetley Bitter Challenge Trophy
50 overs per side
Umpires Dave Bray (Guernsey) and Ray Wilson (Jersey)
Scorers John Mountford (Guernsey) M Shaw (Jersey)
Toss won by Jersey who elected to bat
Jersey won by 47 runs

Jersey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
C JoneslbwbAnthony5074793067.6Poole13168300265.2
S CarlyonbLe Cheminant3062863048.4Turville90450005.0
T CarlyoncAnthonybPoole63851213274.1Anthony19376300384.0
*W JennercAnthonybPoole65671165097.0Le Cheminant9132110543.6
+†S ShortstKimberbAnthony011000.0
M SaraliscClaphambAnthony22100100.0
P Hortonnotout54900125.0
J GilesbPoole44410100.0
S Blampiednotout11400100.0
M Reynoldsdnb
N Jewelldnb
Extras (b5, lb11, w1, nb0)17
Total (for 7 wkts in 50 overs)237
Fall of wickets
1-87(Jones),2-93(S Carlyon),3-225(T Carlyon),4-225(Jenner),5-227(Saralis),6-227(Short),7-232(Giles)

Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Jersey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
P VidamourcBlampiedbJewell924331037.5Horton9228210273.1
R P HeadingtonbHorton2980022.2Jewell11039300223.5
M ClaphambJewell1650016.7Giles40260016.5
R J VeillardcJonesbHorton918330050.0Saralis10234100603.4
A BigginscS CarlyonbJewell054000.0T Carlyon9131200273.4
G TappbSaralis50781038064.1Reynolds5022210154.4
+†G KimbercShortbT Carlyon47701057067.1
*R E H AnthonybReynolds2637472070.3
R TurvillecReynoldsbT Carlyon37100042.9
K A Le Cheminantnotout2629351189.7
M A PoolestShortbReynolds4690066.7
Extras (b0, lb10, w2, nb1)13
Total (in 48 overs)190
Fall of wickets
1-3(Headington),2-4(Clapham),3-22(Vidamour),4-22(Biggins),5-32(Veillard),6-123(Tapp),7-127(Kimber),8-139(Turville),9-176(Anthony),10-190(Poole)

PREVIEW
‘Heads we win’
Guernsey’s best chance of winning something next Sunday will be when the coin is tossed before play, or so the Jersey cricket cognoscente seem to think. Four wins on the trot bring with them a fair degree of confidence for another victory, but certain voices from across the water have more than a hint of ‘we only have top turn up to collect the trophy’ in them. It is time Guernsey did themselves justice on the inter-insular stage. We have the players capable of bringing home the Carlsberg-Tetley Trophy but lately have failed to perform. So far it is a win apiece this summer. They cruised the inter-league match, we stole the two-day game. Time for the decider.
On what is promised to be a hard, bouncy Grainville pitch, Jersey have selected the expected bowlers. Paul Horton and Jon Giles will have a few overs of extreme pace at the Guernsey openers before the tighter and more restrained Mark Reynolds and Nick Jewell attempt to tie down the batsmen and force mistakes. That is where Jersey have the upper hand. Rarely do their bowlers offer the Guernsey batsmen a free ball to hit and so chances have to be taken if runs are to be scored.
Again their batsmen were easy to predict. Mark Saralis comes in in place of Arran Eager who had ducks in both the GCA v JCL match and the two-day game. Chris Jones, the Under-21 captain and a prolific scorer this season, will open with Steve Carlyon. No doubt Ward Jenner will be in dominant form after his JICC exploits, though he is vulnerable early on. When his eye is in a dot ball is a victory for the bowler.
There are no shocks in the Guernsey team. Some cricket watchers thought there may have been one fewer batsman and an extra bowler or all-rounder. As it is four front-line bowlers, three left-armers, will have a fair amount of work to do. I feel sorry for Mark Culverwell. On a quick Grainville he would have been scary. Two years ago he missed out and last season’s College Field didn’t suit his bowling. Mark Jefferies makes a deserved debut at the top of the order, though he should have played last season. If he gets settled he will score a hatful. The ‘hill’ again will provide well appreciated vocal support. Everyone is fit and in form. Game on.
Teams in probable batting order:
Guernsey: Richard Headington, Mark Jefferies, Mark Clapham, Andy Biggins, Richard Veillard, Gary Tapp, Gary Kimber, Ralph Anthony, Rob Turville, Keith Le Cheminant, Mark Poole.
Jersey: Steve Carlyon, Chris Jones, Ward Jenner, Steve Blampied, Tony Carlyon, Simon Short, Mark Saralis, Paul Horton, Mark Reynolds, Jon Giles, Nick Jewell.

Richard Headington has had to withdraw from the Guernsey side for Sunday’s inter-insular at Grainville. The Rovers captain and opening batsman has a late and unavoidable personal commitment and after talking with the selectors decided that he could not play. He is replaced by Cobo’s Peter Vidamour. Cobo B’s Andy Bell will be 12th man.

Guernsey Press
‘Time for a Guernsey win’ by Rob Turville

When Ralph Anthony walks out at Grainville tomorrow he will equal the record for the number of consecutive inter-insular appearances for Guernsey. His 21st match on the trot brings him level with island selector Ricky Mills and also puts him one closer to Warren Barrett’s total of 23 matches for Guernsey. Records will be the last thing on the captain’s mind though. Victory is all he is thinking about.
Last season’s dismal display must be remembered. The bowlers after lunch skittled the Jersey batsmen and put Guernsey in a great position, only for timid batting to lose any advantage the Sarnians had. Given their batting collapse, Jersey must have been laughing their socks off at their eventual margin of victory.
The difference between the sides was the bowling at the top order. When our bowlers put the ball on the spot regularly and made Jenner et al fight for runs the Jerseymen flopped. They made mistakes and got themselves out just as Guernsey batsmen have done for the last four years. But early on too many loose balls let the Carlyons, Steve Blampied and Ward Jenner settle and have several free shots. Those runs given away came back to haunt Guernsey later. Mike Mitchinson, Mark Reynolds ad Tony Carlyon especially gave the home batsmen next to nothing off line. They had to take chances to keep the scoreboard ticking over. As a result, wickets fell.
Guernsey have only once in the last 10 years passed 200 runs, in 1989 when Stuart MacKay made a century on his debut in a 57-run win. The shackles of Jersey’s bowling have to be broken tomorrow. Guernsey have the batsmen in form and the bowlers capable of putting every ball on the spot.
Peter Vidamour replaces Richard Headington and will open with Mark Jefferies. Vidamour has seen it all before, 10 times – Jefferies makes his debut, deservedly after his form in the last two years. Mark Clapham has limpet-like abilities. Occupation of the crease will result in runs. Last year Andy Biggins was criticised as being out of his depth. That still annoys him and he is determined to continue his free-scoring exploits that have brought him a handful of fifties this year.
Richard Veillard is Guernsey’s best batsman. His technique and temperament are perfect for this stage. Last season he struck fifty in vain and was desperate for someone else to stay at the other end. Runs against have flowed from Gary Tapp’s bat. The St Saviour is an ideal number six.

A flooded square at Jersey’s Grainville caused yesterday’s Inter-Island cricket match to be postponed.
The Guernsey-Jersey clash has been re-arranged for Sunday 1st September at Grainville.

The Island cricket selectors have decided that they got it right first time and the unavoidable absence of a holidaying Mark Jefferies is the only change to the Guernsey team originally selected to face Jersey when a second attempt is made to play the Carlsberg-Tetley sponsored inter-insular at Grainville next Sunday. In Jefferies’ absence Rovers’ captain Richard Headington, who originally turned down the chance to play against Jersey because of another commitment, returns to partner Pete Vidamour, his intended replacement, at the top of the order. Mark Culverwell is another victim. The Cobo quickie was drafted in after Rob Turville’s finger was broken. However, since the postponement the digit has set, albeit crooked, and unlucky Culverwell now misses out. Jersey have named an unchanged side for the re-arranged match. The Guernsey team is:
Ralph Anthony (captain), Richard Headington, Peter Vidamour, Mark Clapham, Andy Biggins, Richard Veillard, Gary Tapp, Gary Kimber, Rob Turville, Keith Le Cheminant, Mark Poole.

My sentiments for tomorrow’s re-arranged inter-insular at Grainville have not changed. Guernsey are long overdue a win. We have the players who can beat the old enemy, it’s time we all put it together on the pitch. I can vouch that at the final net on Thursday evening the whole team was pumped up and ready for the match. Hopefully the travelling support that promises to invade the Grainville ‘hill’ will have cause to celebrate.

Jersey Post
‘Saralis and Jewell to face Guernsey’ by Paul Le Conte
The JCA selectors have named two new caps against Guernsey on Sunday 11th August.
Sporting Club Francais bowler Nick Jewell and LS Insurance all-rounder Mark Saralis have played themselves into the Jersey XI. Learning of his selection this morning Saralis, who had trials for Somerset as a schoolboy, said ‘I enjoy playing cricket and always just go out to do my best.’
Jewell is no stranger to inter-insular competition being a regular in the Jersey basketball team.

‘Jersey pacemen key to 5-star victory’ by Paul Le Conte
Jersey go into Sunday’s senior inter-insular on home turf at Grainville looking for a 5th successive victory over their Sarnian rivals. Whether Guernsey bat first or second they are likely to face a torrid time on what should be a quick and bouncy track carefully nurtured by head groundsman Bill Blampied and his team.
Chris Jones comes into the match on the back of seven centuries.

MATCH
Guernsey Press
‘More despair for Ralph’s men’ by Rob Batiste

If losing five cricket ‘Murattis’ on the bounce was not painful enough, the evidence is piling up to suggest it may be some years yet before Guernsey celebrates another senior inter-insular success. There were moments in yesterday’s Carlsberg-Tetley Trophy game at Grainville when it was a touch embarrassing to be a Guernseyman.
Catches dropped with alarming frequency – seven offered and seven spilled at one stage, perhaps one or two more – and if the Jersey section of the ‘hill’ were baying then they were positively crowing, almost falling over with laughter, as Jersey’s opening bowlers reduced Guernsey to 32 for five chasing the little matter of 238 for victory.
Had it been a boxing match the referee would have called an end to the mismatch 13 overs into the Guernsey innings when they lost their fifth and arguably most prized wicket, Richard Veillard. We should be grateful then that Gary Tapp and Gary Kimber led a fine recovery which not only inspired the tail to push Guernsey up towards the dizzy heights of 200, but kept the Jerseymen waiting for their celebration party.
The final margin of 47 runs was, to be honest, a little flattering for Ralph Anthony’s men. who lacked nothing in effort but simply were outplayed by a very fine team, perhaps Jersey’s best ever. Jersey got off to the ideal start on a Grainville wicket a touch greener than usual and not the quickest of Bill Blampied’s creations. Having won the toss Ward Jenner selected to bat and after little more than half an hour’s play the home side were nestling comfortably on 35 runs without loss and both Steve Carlyon and Chris Jones looking ominously threatening. Given the new ball Mark Poole had two shouts for leg before against Carlyon turned down in the opening over, but Ray Wilson kept his digit finger firmly in his pocket and the openers were quickly into their stride. Guernsey seemed incapable of stopping them.
Carlyon, as immaculately compact and studious as ever, crashed one super cover drive off Poole and with the new ball still only a few overs old Carlyon pulled a Rob Turville long hop disdainfully for four behind square.
Jones was no less impressive and by the 13th over Anthony had made his first changes, his own spin replacing Poole at the Bowls Stadium end and Keith Le Cheminant taking over from Turville down the slope. Jones greeted Anthony with a pull for four through mid-wicket but Le Cheminant might have had Jones’ wicket in his first over. The Old Victorian top edged the ball high into the fine leg area only for Poole to spill an admittedly testing chance. Poole’s drop set the pattern for an abysmal fielding display. The next catch to ground came in the 26th over. Jersey had progressed to 86 without loss and Jones on to a fine fifty when Carlyon edged to Peter Vidamour’s left at slip. The Cobo man, normally a fair bet to hold onto anything coming his way, got both hands to the ball at shoulder height to his left, but the ball slipped out and Carlyon survived.
Suddenly estimates in ‘Sparrow’ Guille’s sweep among the Guernsey support as to what Jersey’s eventual score would be, shot up beyond 250 and some even approached 300! But thankfully, neither Poole nor Vidamour’s fielding blemishes were particularly costly. The teams took drinks at 87 after 22 overs and to the very first ball of the next over Jones went leg before, playing forward and hit on the back leg by an Anthony delivery. Six runs later Carlyon was gone too. Strangely for a player of his concentration powers the left-hander went for an injudicious pull and succeeded only in bottom edging the ball from Le Cheminant onto his stumps.
That brought Jenner and Tony Carlyon together and for a while the two were kept quiet by the guile of Anthony and Le Cheminant’s improving line, length and movement. The 100 came up in the 30th over courtesy of an inside edged two for Jenner but with Anthony putting down his opposite number off his own bowling (chest high catch) Jersey were given the springboard for a second wind. Lunch was reached with Jersey 139 for two after 36 overs and well set for a charge.
Their plan must have been to score 240 to 250 and they were assisted greatly by some awful fielding. Clapham dropped a dolly at long on, Le Cheminant likewise at deep cover and perhaps the worst of all, Turville at short extra. Anthony was the suffering bowler on each occasion. Le Cheminant put down an altogether harder chance and when Anthony finally held on to Carlyon’s lofted drive at long on, albeit one-handed at the third attempt, the damage had been done and the third-wicket pair had added 132 priceless runs. Carlyon’s contribution was superb 63 (two fours and a six) and he was followed two balls later in the same Poole over, by his long-time partner.
Jenner fell in identical fashion for 65 except this time Anthony held onto the ball cleanly and his two-fingered salute to the Jersey barrackers was a little less terse than the previous one which looked to have some anger behind its delivery. Minutes later Clapham held on to a quite superb diving catch at long off to cut short Saralis’ inter-insular debut and to the relief of the Guernsey contingent Anthony and Poole retained a measure of control in the final few overs to keep Guernsey hopes flickering.
Four wickets fell in rapid succession at the end of the Jersey innings and, to the dismay of the watching Guernseyman, four more fell in no time at all at the start of the Guernsey reply. Headington was first top go, bowled by Horton. At the other end Clapham moved too far across his stumps and had his leg stump pegged back by Nicky Jewell and by the time the score had reached 22 Vidamour had fallen bat-pad at cover and Biggins had edged to slip. Even worse was to follow. Richard Veillard, the classiest and most technically gifted of all out players received a snorter from paceman Horton and Jones held onto the catch at first slip – 32 for five!
Grainville all of a sudden was not a particularly nice environment for a Guernseyman abroad. This was slaughter in the sun. Thankfully, the cull was put on hold and the two Garys got their heads down before counter-attacking. Fours began to flow and it was a different game. Giles proved expensive and Saralis had no joy until the sixth-wicket pair were within one hit of a superb century partnership. Nor did the sixth-wicket pair need the luck that Jersey’s batsmen rode. The nearest the pair came to giving a chance was Kimber’s slash drive high to deep cover where Tony Carlyon, perhaps blinded by the sun, chose to ignore and Tapp’s lofted on drive which just cleared the same fielded at mid on.
Even if it was just for a short while Jersey were a little concerned. But it couldn’t last. Tapp had no sooner moved to a fine, gutsy half-century, when he looked to play Saralis through mid-wicket, missed and was bowled. Kimber was on 42 at that point and two overs later he also perished. Tony Carlyon dropped the ball fractionally short. Kimber edged as he made room to cut and Short took the catch. To the tail’s credit Jersey were ready to chase leather for several overs yet and for a while Anthony and Le Cheminant made hay in the early evening sunshine. Runs flowed freely not openly enough to meet the 10 an over asking rate but sufficient to raise Guernsey spirits and salvage some pride from Guernsey’s fourth successive defeat at Grainville.

Jersey Post
‘Nap-happy Jersey stroll to victory’ by David Taylor

Jersey defeated Guernsey by 47 runs at Grainville yesterday to lift the Carlsberg-Tetley Trophy for the fifth successive year.
Originally scheduled for mid-August but postponed due to rain, there were no such problems yesterday as the sun shone as Jersey’s all-round superiority told. Guernsey can take some satisfaction from a gutsy performance from their late order batsmen, who at one point got their side back into the game.
Jersey captain Ward Jenner confessed to being shattered afterwards but he must have been delighted with his team’s performance with both bat and ball and selectors Messrs Trevor Moore, Barry Middleton and Paul Robson, along with JCA president Chris Minty can take considerable praise for a good job well done.
Guernsey captain Ralph Anthony was disappointed with his side’s fielding – they dropped at least seven chances – and his top five batsmen all failed to do themselves justice, being whipped out in a devastating opening spell of 13 overs from Nick Jewell and Paul Horton when Guernsey were 32 for 5.
Groundsman Bill Blampied produced another belter of a wicket with something in it for both batsmen and bowler.
Jenner wanted to win the toss and bat first and he duly got what he wanted. He was rewarded with a great start. Openers Chris Jones and Steve Carlyon did exactly what was required by the team, they batted very sensibly and on occasions rode their luck. Carlyon survived two early shouts for leg before wicket. The Guernsey captain had set a defensive field from the outset to the surprise of some people and Jones and Carlyon never seemed to be in trouble. Between them they put on 87 in an hour and a quarter. Jones completed a well-deserved 50 before he was adjudged leg before, and as often happens after a long partnership, Steve Carlyon was bowled by Keith Le Cheminant in the next over, dragging the ball onto his stumps, for 30.
Jenner and Tony Carlyon came together in what proved to be the crucial partnership. Le Cheminant and Anthony, bowling his left-arm spinners around the wicket, really gave the third wicket pair a hard time, but Jersey lost no more wickets before lunch which came with Jersey on 139 for two from 36 overs.
Jenner and Carlyon obviously needed to press on quickly after the break. And they did so with some lovely shots and some inspired running between the wickets, the best batting of the afternoon. They had added 132 in 23 overs in 73 minutes altogether when Mark Poole had both caught at deep mid-on in successive deliveries by Anthony, Jenner for 65 and Carlyon for 63.
At this point with just four overs left it was just crash, bang, wallop and hope for the best, but only 15 more runs were added for the loss of three more wickets and the innings ended on 237 for seven.
Guernsey had used only four bowlers throughout, Poole ending with three for 68 from 13 overs and Anthony with three for 76 from 19. They must have been disappointed with their fielding efforts and those dropped catches.
If Guernsey’s top order batsmen came off then with a bit of effort the score was achievable. However Horton, who bowled very quickly, and Jewell had other ideas. Horton made the first breakthrough in the third over of the innings, bowling Richard Headington. Jewell followed up in the next over by bowling Mark Clapham round his legs and six overs later he had Peter Vidamour caught at cover by Stephen Blampied.
Two smart slip catches by Jones and Steve Carlyon and Guernsey were reeling at 32 for 5 and only 13 overs had been bowled. No wonder the Jersey contingent of supporters on the bank were getting noisier and noisier. At this point Gary Tapp was joined by Gary Kimber and they simply had to steady the ship if Guernsey were to get themselves back into the match, and to their credit they did so.
There were no further alarms before tea came at 93 for five and they carried on the good work after the break.
With some determined stroke play and good running they got Guernsey back into it and the match was now back in the melting pot. Jenner by now must have been getting a little worries. Jon Giles for once proved expensive, and his bowlers were beginning to flag a little and nerves were getting just a little ragged. Tapp reached a well-deserved 50, and had added 91 with Kimber in 21 overs and 76 minutes, when Mark Saralis revived Jersey’s hopes by bowling Tapp and this breakthrough proved to be the decisive turning point of the match. Kimber (47) was caught behind shortly afterwards and although Anthony (26) and Le Cheminant (26) tried bravely, the required run-rate gradually increased.
Mark Reynolds, somewhat surprisingly, had not done a thing all afternoon, but came on to bowl at this point, and chipped in with two wickets and a catch, and wrapped the innings up when he had Poole stumped with a flourish by Simon Short. Guernsey were all out for 190, 47 runs short.
Match sponsors Carlsberg-Tetley, through their local agent G Orange & Co. came up trumps with the trophy and England shirts for the winners, along with some liquid refreshment, and the umpires (Messrs Ray Wilson and Dave Bray) rightly gave the man-of-the-match award to Tony Carlyon who had added a couple of wickets to his 63 runs.

REVIEW
Guernsey Press
‘Jersey set new standards of excellence’ by Rob Batiste

It’s no fun losing and after experiencing five inter-insular cricket victories in a row Jersey have had a belly full of laughs at Guernsey and Ralph Anthony’s expense. But, it needs to be said, Sarnian despondency should be tempered by realisation that Jersey currently have the strongest cricket team they are ever likely to have and it is no disgrace to lose to the team Ward Jenner led out at Grainville on Sunday. They are the best Jersey side I have seen in two decades of covering inter-island cricket and you won’t find Ralph Anthony arguing against that view. ‘They’re certainly the best unit since I’ve been playing. It’s a team full of all-rounders and being critical all that they are lacking is a quality spin bowler.’
Anthony would certainly make the Jersey team, but frankly other than the veteran all-rounder and possibly Richard Veillard, a CI team would consist entirely of Jerseymen. It is for just that reason Ward Jenner argues that Sunday’s result needs to be put into perspective. ‘That’s my 12th cap and without doubt this is the best Jersey team I’ve played for,’ said a man who has had the honour of leading Jersey throughout their run of five successive wins. The bad news, too, is that Jersey look like getting better yet. ‘Where we score a lot of points is that we have a lot of all-rounders. We’ve also got a lot of bowling options which we didn’t use (on Sunday),’ said Jenner, who felt his team was always likely to win if everything went to plan. That said, Jenner feels Guernsey must not be too despondent. ‘We have to make the most of it because things will probably go full circle.’
The Jersey skipper paid tribute to Guernsey’s sixth-wicket pair – ‘I thought they did very well indeed’ – but says on hindsight he should have set more defensive fields once they had settled. ‘After tea we changed to a limited over format, set a much more defensive field and it worked according to plan.’
Anthony and Le Cheminant kept the scoring ticking along during this period, but with the field set back there was never any prospect of Guernsey pulling the game out of the hat. The Guernsey captain is quite right when he says ‘You can’t drop seven catches against this side and get away with it.’ but we should not hide from the fact that Guernsey has a lot of catching up to do in all areas of cricket. People will argue that Joe Bloggs should have played ahead of Joe Soap but that is missing the point. Our batting is not good enough, fielding inadequate and attitude to practice disdainful. We can sit back and wait for Jersey’s current team to get old and the pendulum of fortune gradually sway our way next century, but surely we’d be better off attempting to match Jersey now and look to raise our own standards and level of commitment to the game.