Inter Insular #53 2004

The match was played at Grainville, Jersey
on Saturday 7th August 2004
for the Cherry Godfrey Challenge Trophy
50 overs per side (Maximum number of 10 overs per bowler for first time)
Umpires Roy Skyrme (Guernsey) and Doug Ferguson (Jersey)
Scorers Mark Vidamour (Guernsey) Pauline Kelly (Jersey)
Toss won by Jersey who elected to bat
Guernsey won by 5 wickets

Jersey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
S CarlyoncHeadingtonbBanerjee11930005.3Derbyshire82250613.1
C JoneslbwbRich2169873030.4Banerjee1032324130.02.3
B Silvac&bBanerjee2027282074.1Van den Heever512011030.04.0
P GoughcBigginsbVan den Heever276.00028.6Moody731011042.01.4
*M PatidarbMoody0610000.0Rich1012722030.02.7
A Dewhurstrunout22422008.3Frith401221012.03.0
T CarlyoncHeadingtonbFrith3771846052.1Duke402114024.05.3
M SaraliscFrithbRich1321241061.9
+†S Shortnotout1334570038.2
P HortoncDukebFrith2770028.6
P Blackburnc&bDuke55510100.0
Extras (b3, lb4, w20, nb2)29
Total (in 48 overs)145
Fall of wickets
1-10(S Carlyon),2-48(Silva),3-51(Gough),4-56(Patidar),5-57(Jones),6-64(Dewhurst),7-91(Saralis),8-132(T Carlyon),9-136(Horton),10-145(Blackburn)

Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Jersey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
+†R P HeadingtoncS CarlyonbSaralis612171.0050.0Saralis501422015.02.8
T DukecT CarlyonbSaralis011110.000.0Blackburn71180102.6
A BanerjeelbwbHorton1326412050.0Horton1022910060.02.9
JDJ Frithnotout391321533.0029.5T Carlyon8.43230002.7
*A BigginscGoughbDewhurst715231046.7Dewhurst501910030.03.8
M OlivercSaralisbGough2629394089.7Jones2050002.5
S E Le Prevostnotout533953111135.9Gough4.211411125.23.3
D Van den HeeverdnbSilva1.502700018.0
P Moodydnb
G J Richdnb
N Derbyshirednb
Extras (b0, lb1, w4, nb1)6
Total (for 5 wkts in 43.5 overs)150
Fall of wickets
1-4(Duke),2-13(Headington),3-24(Banerjee),4-38(Biggins),5-71(Oliver)

Jonny Gough replaced injured Tony Carlyon in 33rd over

Man-of-the-match Stuart Le Prevost

PREVIEW
Jersey Post
‘Island first timers out to make an impression’ by Andy Bradshaw

Chichester University student Andy Dewhurst booked his place in the full island cricket team with a solid all-round performance in Guernsey recently. The 20 year old Jerseyman won the man-of-the-match award in a 4 run B team victory over the Sarnians following a knock of 71 runs and 10 tidy overs resulting in one wicket for 36 runs.
New island cricket cap Peter Blackburn was taken aback when told he had been selected for Jersey. The 24 year old was delightful with his inclusion to face Guernsey on Saturday. Before coming to Jersey two years ago Blackburn represented his native Lincolnshire as a junior and also played one match for the county 2nd XI against Huntingdonshire scoring 16 and 0, and taking 1 for 21 and 4 for 24.
Guernsey field two new caps, Nick Derbyshire and Divan van den Heever. One hundred and forty spectators are expected to travel by boat.
[Nick Derbyshire was born 11 Sept 1970 in Ramsbottom, Lancashire. He represented the county twice in 1994 and then Essex three times in seasons 1995/6. He scored 52 runs and took 5 wickets. His elder sister is Victoria Derbyshire who is the BBC presenter and has her own show.]

‘Simple approach to difficult task’ by Andy Bradshaw
Jersey return to basics in the hope of avoiding a hat-trick of defeats by Guernsey in the Cherry Godfrey Challenge tomorrow.

Guernsey Press
‘Headington takes over the gloves’ by Gareth Le Prevost

Former Guernsey captain Richard Headington returns to inter-insular cricket on Saturday in the new guise of wicket-keeper. Island manager Dave Hearse yesterday announced his XI for the Cherry Godfrey Challenge and confirmed that the C&W Rovers player would maintain the place behind the sticks that he took up in the win over the Royal Navy Under 25s. ‘Richard will keep and the reasons for that are primarily that he has had a very good season and also Justin Ferbrache [who kept wicket in last season’s epic encounter at the KGV] has been a bit up and down. He has had a few injuries and his commitment was questionable,’ said Hearse.
Headington in for Ferbrache is one of three changes to the Guernsey team that is aiming for a hat-trick of victories at Grainville. The injured Glenn Milnes was a known absentee several weeks ago while Matt Jeffery also misses out and in come two new caps, Divan van den Heever and Nick Derbyshire. ‘Both deserve their caps,’ said Hearse. ‘Nick has impressed me with his wicket-taking and the speed of his bowling. Divan has matured as a cricketer in the last year. He gives us the versatility of a left-arm quick bowler and in his batting he has proved that on his day he is a very forceful middle-order player. Overall we have got a very strong and flexible batting order and enough bowling versatility to give the captain [Andy Biggins] plenty of options.’
Hearse also had a word of consolation for the two Rovers players who did not make the side. ‘Matt [Jeffery] has not quite been there this season. He has bowled well enough on occasions and he will be playing in the Four Islands Tournament, which he deserves. Stuart [Bisson] has impressed me very mush this season with his attitude, commitment and performances. He batted brilliantly in the B team game. He just has not got the versatility that others have, but he was so, so close and I do feel for him.’
Island team: Andy Biggins (captain), Matt Oliver, Richard Headington, Ami Banerjee, Jeremy Frith, Stuart Le Prevost, Tin Duke, Divan van den Heever, Gary Rich, Pierre Moody, Nick Derbyshire. 12th man Stuart Bisson.

‘Guernsey even stronger than last year’s winners’ by Gareth Le Prevost
It is hard to imagine the 2004 Cherry Godfrey Challenge matching the immense drama and excitement of last year’s extraordinary inter-insular. The abiding memories are of Pierre Moody slapping a straight pull over mid-on to win a game that half an hour earlier had looked lost and the picture of him with captain Andy Biggins afterwards when the hero could barely raise a smile, so draining had his efforts been on that sweltering day.
Dave Gorman, the Jersey captain a year ago and now team manager, said that, without question, that match at the KGV was the best in which he had ever been involved. Coming from a quality player who had an impressive Minor Counties career before moving to the Channel Islands, that is saying something. But Guernsey v Jersey clashes have a tendency to produce exceptional contests and let’s hope, for the crowd’s sake, that tomorrow’s meeting is no different. The Sarnians will go in as favourites, with Biggins looking to maintain his 100% winning record as skipper and lift the trophy for a third successive year.
And we certainly have a side capable of completing the hat-trick. Biggins has warned against complacency, however. ‘We should be confident but certainly not over-confident,’ he said. ‘On paper this is the strongest side that Guernsey has had for some years, but it remains an unknown quantity. Our preparations this season have not been ideal, through no fault of our own, and, as a result, this season we will be judged on this one result. It comes down to one 50-over match and, as last year showed, cricket is not always that predictable. Our team selection was unanimous; it is an extremely versatile team but what we have to be wary of is thinking that all we have to do is turn up at Grainville and expect things to go our way. If we win, we will have earned it. It will be harder than last year and in 2002. There is one thing that you can guarantee from a Jersey side – they will make life very hard for you. They will have taken last year’s defeat badly in a game they should have won.’
Guernsey have two exciting new additions this year. Nick Derbyshire signalled his arrival in the island by winning the player-of-the-month award for May and his credentials are obvious, being a former first-class cricketer. The other new cap is the youngest member of the side but, as manager Dave Hearse said, Divan van den Heever has matured greatly as a cricketer this summer. The 20-year-old Optimists all-rounder has impressed everyone with his destructive batting and the middle-order combination of him and Stuart Le Prevost is potentially devastating. The South African’s left-arm bowling is also a very handy option for Biggins, with van den Heever having added more control to his rapid pace.
It was disappointing to lose Glenn Milnes to his long-term injury but the form of Richard Headington, who is returning to the side after a three-year absence, has softened the blow. The former island captain has batted beautifully at times this season and has been in the runs of late, with two big scores in July. He has scored an unbeaten century for the island this summer as well. Headington has also proved himself to be very capable with the gloves and that has proved to be a blessing for Hearse in getting the ideal balance for the team. Add to those three the nucleus of last year’s side and you have a very strong XI.
‘We have a long batting line-up, with batsmen capable of adapting to any situation,. Likewise, the bowling has versatility – pace, swing and spin. But it still comes down to things clicking into place on the day,’ said Biggins. ‘We have talked through a game plan but that is not set in stone and we will change things, if appropriate, on the day. Players know that they will need to tailor their game to what suits given situations best.’
Jersey, meanwhile, have pushed more towards youth in a bid to regain the trophy this time around and some of the names may not be familiar to some this side of the water. Peter Gough returns to the side following a year’s absence and he is joined by fellow under 21 player Andy Dewhurst. Both are very promising, elegant batsmen who can also provide useful bowling options.
Left-arm seamer Peter Blackburn is the other new cap (along with Dewhurst) and he made the team on the back of his fine performance in the B inter-insular. The youngsters join up with regulars such as the Carlyon brothers, Chris Jones, Simon Short and Paul Horton in the side led by Meeku Patidar. But the Caesareans have been hit by the absence of Matt Hague. The Australian is currently away and his all-round contribution will be sorely missed. ‘Any side would miss players such as Matt Hague or, for that matter, Ward Jenner [not selected], but Jersey still have some notable big-game players who are capable of dictating a game. We have to respect that and safeguard against handing them the initiative.’
It is understandable that the home side will start as underdogs, but Jersey are still very capable of putting in the type of performance required to win the show-piece occasion. However, Guernsey are on the crest of a wave at the moment and because of the Sarnians’ experience, quality and versatility, I would wager on Biggins lifting that trophy for the third time tomorrow afternoon. That would equal Guernsey’s best run in the inter-insular.

‘Derbyshire quick to attack’ by Gareth Le Prevost
Nick Derbyshire will not be backward in coming forward when the banter starts at Grainville today. The C&W Rovers fast bowler is making his inter-insular debut and has been warned by his teammates what to expect. Suffice to say he is looking forward to it. ‘I have heard it will be a relatively vocal affair, which always adds to the atmosphere. I am certainly not one for shirking it when it comes to verbal pleasantries,’ he said with a grin.
Having played first-class cricket for Lancashire and Essex, a few heated exchanges will hardly be anything new to the 33-year-old and he will give as good as he gets in Jersey. He also has a clear objective in mind when he gets hold of the new ball. ‘I will target their openers. They have got a left-right-hand combination [Steve Carlyon and Chris Jones] and I will try to knock them over early to let the guys after me get stuck into their order.’
Derbyshire is an assured character and a very talented cricketer, but he is also being very sensible in his approach to this game and, as such, is unwilling to make any boastful predictions with how the match will pan out. He emphasises that was the mood through the rest of the squad members as well. ‘We are confident in our own ability to do our job, but we are definitely not complacent. Sure, there will be nerves but that is a good thing because it gets the adrenaline pumping. We have a squad of 12 talented players and there are a lot more talented guys who have not made that 12 so there is a lot of strength in depth. ‘It highlights how strong a team we have got if Pierre Moody, who won the game for us last year, is coming in at nine or 10 and someone like Divan van den Heever is at seven or eight – it says a lot.’
Indeed, it says a lot that Derbyshire himself will be at 11 just two weeks after he opened the batting for his club and scored 45 against St Ouen, whose opening bowler Paul Horton will be in Jersey’s attack today. Put that ability with the bat alongside his obvious threat with the ball and it is easy to see why he has made the Guernsey side.
It has nothing to do with the squad’s sponsorship deal with the Kraken Group, which Derbyshire helped to broker as he is a director of the company. ‘At least, I certainly hope it’s not,’ he said. During his brief time in Guernsey cricket, Derbyshire has already played a major role in Rovers becoming the 2004 Guernsey champions as well as in their excellent Evening League campaign. ‘I did not know the type of club Rovers were, but I think I have fitted in very well. I must have done because they appointed me chairman of the fines committee and we have raised nearly £400 so far. Winning does help, though. I think I have added something to the team in terms of age and experience and perhaps a bit of a steely edge – a bit more competitiveness. We were very pleased to win the championship. From what I gather, historically it has usually been a two or three-horse race but this year everyone was beating everyone and it was good to win a league that was very competitive. It was very satisfying.’
From a personal point of view the quickie has been content with his performances and admitted that the mountain of work he has had to do had probably helped him. ‘I am the kind of bowler that needs to stay in rhythm. The good thing is that I have been playing so much that I have been able to keep that rhythm. As with any other bowler, sometimes you can come away with four or five wickets having bowled poorly and other times you bowl really well and not have any luck, so I am reasonably pleased but there is always room for improvement.’
Away from playing, Derbyshire has spent time considering how local cricket can improve. He has drawn on his own experiences from his county days and come to the conclusion that we are currently too insular. He would be very keen to see more touring sides come to the island and our representative squads going away more. ‘In all honestly, I played very little first-class cricket but having spent time at those counties, I was given a great opportunity to play with or against some very good players. To be able to rub shoulders with the likes of Wasim Akram and Patrick Patterson in the early 90s was brilliant. I was also around at the same time as people like Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Ronnie Irani and Graham Gooch and I certainly learnt a lot. There is a lot of cricket played in Guernsey but you can see how good you are only if you are playing against touring sides or going away to play people. It is good to test out how good we are against sides from the UK. There is a lot of store placed on the inter-insular, which is right, but it is not the only game. It is important to progress as a side.’
Derbyshire advocates the idea of Guernsey playing against minor county sides on a regular basis, or even the 2nd XIs of first-class counties, saying it is the level the islands needs to be targeting, especially now that they are moving into the ICC. Locally, he would like to see the facilities improved and the promising youth player fast-tracked into the clubs’ first teams. ‘What I see as very important is investing in pitches and getting younger players involved earlier,’ said Derbyshire. I hear there are a lot of good young players but you do not see many of them playing in the top league. That is something I would like to see change. If you give them a lot of decent cricket at that age [mid-teens onwards] suddenly they are very experienced cricketers at the age of 22. ‘For the benefit of Guernsey cricket, everyone has to work together and be pushing forward to really improve it.’
But for the final word we return to the subject of today’s encounter and how he sees the game going. ‘From a cricket purist’s point of view, you would want a tight game and your side to win, but from a personal point of view I would prefer us to score 500 and bow them out for 50. In all seriousness, though, I want it to be a good team performance but with some individual highlights. It would be great if someone got 100 or five wickets in their backyard.’

‘Jersey to start the rebuilding process’
It is a transitional time in Jersey cricket. The old is starting to be replaced by the new as the Caesareans prepare for the future and what the ICC holds in store. Dave Gorman, last years’ island captain and now chairman of selectors, has signalled his intent by choosing an inter-insular XI that includes some fresh, young faces in Andy Dewhurst and Peter Blackburn and this is just the start of the evolution. ‘The way we have selected is the start of something new for Jersey cricket,’ said Gorman. The way we picked the B side for the game a couple of weeks ago is an indication of the direction in which we are heading. Guernsey can look forward to facing a quite different Jersey side in the next two or three years.’
Jersey are under new leadership as well, with Meeku Patidar being handed the captaincy and he will be assisted by 19-year-old Peter Gough, who is winning only his second cap. ‘What Meeku will bring, a bit like Ward Jenner did, is that he will lead from the front. He shows a great example to other players with a good commitment and a desire to win,’ said Gorman. ‘He is also very good at talking to players. He has got an air of control and is learning all the time. Where he will gain is from the respect of the players and he will be able to lift them at a requisite moment. Peter Gough has an exceptional cricket mind and is an exceptional young cricketer. This is also signalling that Peter will be around for a long time to come and he has a big part to play in Jersey cricket,’ he added.
However, it is not wholesale changes across the water. The nucleus of the side from the past decade or more is still prominent, with Chris Jones, Simon Short ad Paul Horton selected once more while the Carlyon brothers again pose a big threat. Steve has been in typically good form with the bat for Sporting Club while Tony has taken a sack-full of wickets. But Gorman is wary of what the Guernsey side has to offer and spoke of his admiration for the Sarnian players before picking out a couple of the main protagonists. ‘[Ami] Banerjee is the first name you would pick because of the historical record in the game. But to keep delivering performances like he does is very difficult to do and perhaps this year one of his two lines, batting or bowling, might not be as effective. That is what I hope I hope, anyway.

MATCH
Jersey Post ‘It’s a Guernsey treble’ by Ron Felton

The Guernsey cricket flag was hoisted on the flagpole at Grainville on Saturday evening but the visitors were made to work hard for their third inter-insular victory in a row.
Andy Biggins duly lifted the Inter-Insular trophy on Saturday Guernsey’s Jersey-born skipper did not have the cakewalk victory that many had envisaged at lunch. Indeed, Jersey’s young side, led by first-time skipper, Meeku Patidar, might well have been whistling the ‘Great Escape’ had their tenacious and unlikely attempt to defend a meagre 145 total yielded a couple of more wickets. Patidar was rightly proud of the way his side bowled and fielded to give themselves an outside chance of victory – until the partnership of Guernsey’s anchorman Jeremy Frith and hard-hitting man-of-the-match Stuart Le Prevost saw the Sarnians home with six overs and five wickets to spare.
Most of the large, enthusiastic and sun-baked crowd had virtually given up on a home victory by midway through Jersey’s stuttering innings. Said a disappointed but not despondent Patidar, ‘We simply did not bat well enough. We talked about building partnerships and had the right intentions but it did not happen. It was very tough – 145 was not enough. Our wickets fell consistently. But we gave it a go and tried our hardest – our bowling and fielding were excellent.’ Asked about his young players’ contribution Patidar said, ‘They can go forward from here, Take away the good points – and there were good points – but learn from the mistakes that cost us the game. Our support was brilliant – I take my hat off to them, they played their part to the full today, but we didn’t.’
The Guernsey skipper agreed with Patidar’s assessment, ‘This was really a 220 minimum wicket. We made the only telling partnership of the day and that was the difference in the end. But Jersey fought well.’
Jersey’s innings was generally one of unfulfilled promise, a good stroke followed by a dismissal in several cases. Opener Steve Carlyon went cheaply after seven overs while Chris Jones stayed around for 21 overs, scoring 21 runs, before falling to a lbw decision from a Gary Rich delivery. Jones had been joined by Ben Silva and the partnership looked promising for a while before the no. 3 fell, caught and bowled by the impressive Ami Banerjee. Guernsey were called for 20 wides in the innings although several observers felt the visiting bowlers were being treated leniently regarding no-balls. ‘Extras’ turned out to be Jersey’s second top scorer with 29, bettered only by the tenacious Tony Carlyon, surely the home side’s man-of-the-match with 37. But by the time Carlyon came to the wicket the vital wickets of Jones, Peter Gough and captain Patidar had fallen.
Carlyon’s eagerness to run, however, was not matches by Andy Dewhurst, whose failure to send back his senior partner, who had called for a quick single, resulted in the loss of his own wicket – one he had protected with some determination in his 23 minute spell. Jersey desperately needed someone to anchor the innings and to allow others to push the score along. Needing to push the run-rate up, Carlyon and new partner Mark Saralis, started finding the boundary, but in attempting a repeat of a previous towering stroke Saralis only found the safe hands of Frith.
A dogged unbeaten innings from wicketkeeper Simon Short looked promising but Jersey’s hopes of a decent total disappeared when Carlyon fell to a catch by Richard Headington off the bowling of Frith in the 45th over. Jersey failed to make use of their allotted 50 overs with Paul Horton and Peter Blackburn, another making his senior island debut, both being dismissed cheaply. And that, the general opinion was, was the game all but over. But Jersey came back fired-up after lunch with a super opening spell from Saralis and Blackburn rocking Guernsey.
Two superb catches from the Carlyon brothers – you would be pushed to see better at Test level – gave Saralis the wickets of both openers. Headington went first, caught behind by Steve after a superb, high leaping catch to his left, followed by Tim Duke being caught in a similar field position, but this time low down to Tony’s left.
Game back on? Well yes, for a good while at least, with Guernsey failing to match even Jersey’s miserable run-rate. But wickets were vital as any decent partnership was going to see Guernsey retain the trophy.
Jersey had to wait another ten overs before the next success, with Horton trapping Banerjee lbw – a decision the batsman was clearly not happy about. But Frith, who had joined Banerjee in the fifth over, proved to be a deep, well-seated thorn in the Jersey side. He was there to holed the show together and he did that admirably, carrying his bat through to the end, hitting only three boundaries in his 155 minute stint.
Dewhurst claimed the valuable scalp of captain Biggins as his first in senior Inter-Insular cricket when Peter Gough took a straightforward catch to make it 43 for four off 21 overs. Jersey were 56 for four at the same point in their innings. But the run-rate was given a boost with matt Oliver’s arrival and in the next ten overs he added 26 runs from 29 balls before being removed by Gough’s slower delivery, Saralis taking the catch.
Jersey gained no respite however with Le Prevost coming out to bat. Despite a hamstring pull restricting his running the powerful Sarnian soon started to pull the match out of Jersey’s reach, hitting 11 fours in his total of 53. Backed by Frith, Le Prevost saw Guernsey home in the middle of the 44th over with a towering six, 35 coming off the last three overs.
David Cherry presented the Inter-Insular trophy to Andy Biggins after a summary from Albert Brown of the Jersey Cricket Association.

Guernsey Press
‘Guernsey bides time to secure hat-trick’ by Gareth Le Prevost

Guernsey will be going for a record-breaking fourth consecutive inter-insular victory at the KGV next August. The Sarnians equalled their previous best of a hat-trick of wins at Grainville on Saturday, but as with all triumphs over Jersey, they were made to work hard to retain the trophy.
Chasing a modest 145 after a superbly disciplined performance in the field, Guernsey’s top order stumbled to 38 for four as the home side put in a similarly impressive bowling and fielding display. But Jeremy Frith remained calm and patiently held up an end with a vital 39 not out which allowed two of his Total Cobo teammates to bat freely at the other end. Matt Oliver put the required impetus into the innings with his 26 before Stuart Le Prevost banished all Jersey’s hopes with a marvellous 52 in an unbroken and match-winning stand of 79 with Frith.
And the number seven won the match in style, reaching his half century with a six over mid-wicket off the penultimate ball of the 44th over. ‘When the field came in [for the last ball], I just thought I would go down the track and hit it over them,’ said Le Prevost, who was named man-of-the-match. ‘I have batted with Frithy quite a lot for Cobo and we always seem to bat well together, which was the case again today. It is nice to win three on the trot, especially having been on the end of a few defeats in the past,’ he added.
Guernsey manager Dave Hearse admitted that there were some anxious times during the afternoon. ‘The danger with chasing a low score is that you bat to get a low score. We were slightly disappointed with the batting, but the Jersey bowlers bowled well, kept it tidy and their fielders took their chances well,’ he said. ‘Frithy managed to put down the anchor and that ultimately won us the game because it allowed others to play around him and Stuart batted beautifully, hence the man-of-the-match award.’
Meeku Patidar, the Jersey captain, was gracious in defeat and warned that his team will come back stronger next year. ‘I see cricket as a pretty simple game; it is about doing the basics right. You look to bat well, bowl well and field well. We did the bowling and fielding exceptionally well – what let us down was our batting. We never scored enough runs. ‘We talked a lot about partnerships and we never really had one of note and when I see Jeremy Frith bat for almost 150 balls to help win a game, I take my hat off to him,’ Patidar said.

‘Hot-favourites made to scrap all the way’ by Gareth Le Prevost
Winning inter-insulars is never easy. Guernsey went to Grainville on Saturday with their strongest side for many a year, perhaps ever, and were undoubtedly favourites, but Jersey are nothing if not pugnacious and, boy, did they fray the nerves of all the Sarnians present. Having to defend a low score, the hosts bowled accurately and fielded like demons to put the jitters on the visitors and raise their hopes of a surprise victory. However, Guernsey’s incredible strength in depth and the ability to leave someone of Stuart Le Prevost’s class to come in at number seven proved the difference on another memorable day for Sarnian cricket.
On winning the toss, Meeku Patidar predictably chose to let Guernsey field in the heat of the day. But things went the visitors’ way after that decision with Ami Banerjee capturing the vital wicket of Steve Carlyon early on as Richard Headington took a tumbling catch behind the stumps. Chris Jones and Ben Silva looked comfortable during their second wicket stand of 38, both solid in defence and quick onto anything loose, but the breaking of their partnership signalled the start of a mid-order collapse that saw Jersey lose five wickets for 16 runs. The superb Banerjee took a neat return catch off Silva, Peter Gough miscued a pull off Divan van den Heever straight to Biggins and Patidar’s leg stump was removed by Pierre Moody’s first delivery.
Then, importantly, Jones followed, trapped leg before, attempting to sweep Gary Rich in his first over before Tim Duke’s swift piece of work ran out a hesitant Andy Dewhurst. But being a fighter Tony Carlyon was the man Jersey needed at the crease in this situation and he did all he could to take his side up to a defendable total. Mark Saralis hung around with him for a while until he needlessly attempted to repeat a straight four off Rich only to find Jeremy Frith at long-off. Simon Short then provided the supporting role. Carlyon continued to be his aggressive self and he thumped some typical cover drives for four during the stand of 43. Towards the end of his 37 he was given a lifeline as Le Prevost dropped him at mid-on, but it did not prove too costly as the batsman edged Frith behind in the nest over.
Guernsey then turned the screw with Frith removing Paul Horton and Duke claiming Peter Blackburn as the hosts were bowled out for 145. For a batting line-up like Guernsey’s that should not have been too testing a total, but it was. Saralis dismissed Duke in the third over with Tony Carlyon taking a stunning catch at second slip and the same bowler accounted for Headington soon after with Steve Carlyon the catcher this time. Banerjee and Frith were together for what seemed like an age but only put on 11 for the third wicket and in the 15th over the Indian was trapped in front by Horton.
Guernsey were struggling at 24 for three and things got worse before they got better as the skipper drove straight to mid-off, out for seven. The next ball signalled a change in momentum though. Matt Oliver is not one to hang around and when Dewhurst gave him a long-hop first up, the Cobo man murdered it to the mid-wicket boundary. Ten runs, all to the left-hander, came off the following Carlyon over and the Guernsey supporters knew their team was back in business. Oliver went on to make a more than useful 26 from 29 balls until the introduction of Gough’s off-spin paid instant dividends with Saralis catching a steepler at mid-on.
However, although not even half way to their target, Le Prevost had been given a platform to work off and that was all he needed. The boundaries started to flow. Suddenly the gaps in the field were being found and the scoreboard was ticking over as the Cobo man struck fours both sides of the wicket with expert timing, while at the other end Frith also upped his scoring rate. After taking 30 overs to score 70, Guernsey reached the 44th over on the brink of victory at 132 with Le Prevost on strike and poor Silva in the firing line. The first delivery disappeared for four, a dot followed but then balls three and four both found the cover boundary to take the score to 144 and the batsman onto 47. Having hit 11 fours, the only thing missing for Le Prevost was a six and, in an emphatic finish, he rectified that by launching his 39th delivery over mid-wicket. Then the celebrations began.