Inter Insular #55 2006

The match was played at Grainville, Jersey
on Saturday 2nd September 2006
for the HSBC Bank Trophy
50 overs per side but reduced to 41 overs after rain interruption
Umpires John Mountford (Guernsey) and Jane Carpenter (Jersey)
Scorers Sue Veillard (Guernsey) Lynn Davis (Jersey)
Toss won by Guernsey who elected to bat
Guernsey won by 16 runs

Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Jersey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
J D J FrithcDriverbJones514191035.71Driver9044230274.9
†+M OlivercHaguebJones1122271050.0Jones8121211242.6
A BanerjeecP GoughbMinty3177523040.26Hague81290203.6
J MeadescJ GoughbP Gough2030414066.67P Gough2011110125.5
S E Le PrevostcP GoughbCrocker1739831043.59Minty9144130544.9
G H SmitbDriver38323551118.75Crocker5027100305.4
T DukestB MintybDriver23191830121.05
*A Bigginsnotout661000100.0
G J Richnotout108600125.0
P Moodydnb
S Bissondnb
Extras (b0, lb3, w14, nb1)18
Total (for 7 wkts in 41 overs)179
Fall of wickets
1-17(Frith),2-18(Oliver),3-62(Meades),4-87(Banerjee),5-119(Le Prevost),6-161(Smit),7-164(Duke)

Jersey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
P GoughcOliverbDuke818241044.44Duke8124220243.0
S CarlyoncBanerjeebDuke3480075.0Moody30240208.0
*M HaguecMeadesbFrith5484905064.29Rich91260002.9
R DrivercOliverbFrith2958692050.0Banerjee5.20254007.84.8
C JonesstOliverbFrith3580060.0Frith7029310144.1
A DewhurstcBigginsbBanerjee1417231082.35Bisson2019110129.5
J GoughbBisson89120088.89Meades20130216.5
+†B MintycOliverbBanerjee1270050.0
T MintybBanerjee16121430133.33
D Morfeenotout69130066.67
N CrockerbBanerjee011000
Extras (b1, lb2, w17, nb1)21
Total (in 36.2 overs)163
Fall of wickets
1-8(Carlyon),2-31(P Gough),3-105(Driver),4-113(Jones),5-116(Hague),6-137(J Gough),7-139(Dewhurst),8-140(B Minty),9-163(T Minty),10-163(Crocker)

 

PREVIEW
Jersey Post by Andy Bradshaw
Prolific Sporting Club Francais batsman Steve Carlyon returns to Jersey’s team for next month’s inter-insular. Carlyon (40) who has been in excellent form this summer retired following their success of Jersey’s showing on their European Cricket Championship Division 2 debut in Scotland earlier this month. Carlyon said ‘My decision to retire was because of my age. I was 39 and thought it’s time to move aside and give the youngsters a go’.
Mark Saralis
The Jersey team is gradually reforming after the decade of victories that was ended in 2001. The names of Carlyon S, Carlyon T, Short, Jenner, Horton, Giles, Reynolds that had for so long been the scourge of Guernsey are making way for the next wave of Island representatives who now have to rebuild after a run of four consecutive losses. Guernsey cricket has revolutionalised itself, the bitterness of so many defeats prompted a more professional approach and Dave Hearse and management deserve credit for their team’s recent achievements.
Jersey were initially slow to react and have paid accordingly but now have adopted a similar professional approach and in Ryan Driver have a player who is capable of mixing it with the best and whose experience is a great asset to the squad.
Of course bias plays a part when it comes to these matches and it is difficult not to look at the Jersey team with rose-tinted goggles. It is difficult not to be optimistic that this could be their year and hopefully at the end of the match we will see Matt Hague raising the trophy.

Guernsey Press
‘Biggins calls time on his captaincy’ by Gareth Le Prevost

Andy Biggins is stepping down as Guernsey captain. Tomorrow’s inter-insular will be the 31-year-old’s final game in charge of the Sarnian side and whatever the result he has already presided over the island’s most successful period in it history. Last year’s victory at the KGV set a new Guernsey record of four successive wins over Jersey, al of which have been under his captaincy. The ideal way for Biggins to bow out would be to extend that record at Grainville.
‘I would rather make the decision before something else forces me into it,’ he said. ‘It is probably the right time. I have done it for five years and it was always my intention to do it for that long. I think I have taken the team as far as I can and it is the right time for someone else to bring fresh ideas to the jib. It is also a good time for whoever takes over because they have a year to bed in and learn the ropes ahead of the next European Championships in 2008.’
However, Biggins wants to continue to be a part of the island squad and hopes to be able to contribute with the bat for some time to come. ‘The other issue behind the decision was selection,’ he said. ‘While at the moment I believe I am still good enough to merit a place in the team as a batsman there will come a stage, fairly soon I hope, when I am not guaranteed a place because a young player, someone such as Jamie Nussbaumer or James Warr perhaps, has established himself in it. I would much rather fight for a place in those circumstances, work on my batting, improve my fielding and keep my fitness levels up. I am not saying I do not do that now, but as captain there is so much else to consider and sometimes your own game takes a back seat.’
With a record of only five defeats in 27 games a skipper since he began in 2002, Biggins can be justifiably proud of his tenure. The next island captain will have quite an act to follow, but he will have the backing of his predecessor. ‘I will support whoever takes over,’ Biggins said. ‘It has been the highlight of my sporting career and I have thoroughly enjoyed is and has been a privilege to have had this opportunity.’
Teams:
Guernsey – Andy Biggins (capt), Matt Oliver, Ami Banerjee, Jeremy Frith, Stuart Le Prevost, Tim Duke, Justin Meades, GH Smit, Gary Rich, Pierre Moody, Stuart Bisson or Aaron Scoones. 12th man Kris Moherndl.
Jersey – Mathew Hague (captain), Steve Carlyon, Peter Gough, Ryan Driver, Chris Jones, Johnny Gough, Andy Dewhurst, Dave Morfee, Bobby Minty, Tom Minty, Nigel Crocker. 12th man Ian Crocker

Jersey Post
Carlyon commits to Jersey for two years’ by Andy Bradshaw
Steve Carlyon has had a change of mind recently. He said, ‘I am committed to Jersey cricket again and my aim now is to play in the 2008 tournament. Nothing is guaranteed, though, it depends on my fitness and my form. If my form is good, then selection will take care of itself, so I have to hope my fitness remains good.’
Carlyon’s form has been better than good this season and, once he announced his availability, was a shoe-in for the HSBC Challenge Cup at Grainville next Saturday. His return is one of six changes to the side who were beaten by 89 runs at the KGV last year. The selectors have also omitted wicketkeeper Simon Short, a regular for well over a decade. Bobby Minty takes over.
The JCB selectors are looking for a consistent approach. We are looking for players who are committed with Jersey and international cricket in mind,’ said selector Dave Gorman. Tony Carlyon and Mark Saralis, who both went to Scotland, made themselves unavailable for selection for the inter-island game. The former, younger brother of Steve, is on holiday but had said earlier this summer that he has played his last match against Guernsey as it was time for the youngsters to come through. There can be little doubt, though, that the Sarnians prefer to see a Jersey team sheet without his name on it.

Guernsey Press
‘Victory this year would be the most impressive’ by Gareth Le Prevost

Andy Biggins is not one to dwell on things. As he racks his brains for details of the four inter-insulars in which he has captained Guernsey, there are several pauses followed by retractions as memories and years get muddles up. However, in the wider context of Guernsey cricket he has no doubts about the crucial moment of his tenure. ‘The most important win we have had was at Grainville four years ago because it was something we had to sort out and break the pattern of 11 years of defeat,’ Biggins said. ‘Once we had done that, everyone was relieved and, thankfully, we have moved on since then. It was a fantastic feeling. It set us on our way and we could look to the future. We picked a team with experience, including some of the fiercest competitors I have played with. We had just one thing in mind. We could say we could compete and beat Jersey. That was a big victory and as each of the inter-insulars have come and gone since then we have grown in confidence.’
Biggins was appointed captain by Peter Vidamour for that 2002 season following much success as Optimists skipper and Dave Hearse has found no reason to change the winning formula since taking over as island manager. Even though he is now only 31, Biggins is a veteran of nine inter-insulars, having made his debut at the College Field in 1995. He has seen much change in that time, most of it for the better. ‘One thing we have done in recent years is back our players a lot more. It is a hard squad to break into, but once you are there you get a fair crack of the whip,’ he said. ‘It is now a more squad-based thing. I felt when I became captain that we did not necessarily play as a team as well as we could. Now we all mix, we socialise together and when we go away we all tour well. We enjoy each others’ company. Dave Hearse must take credit for having the foresight to get us training together regularly. It helps us to have that” club mentality”, which I think is very important.’
Biggins does not deny, however, that he got lucky in the way his period of captaincy has coincided with an influx of quality players to the island. The current crop includes Ami Banerjee. Jeremy Frith, Tim Duke, Justin Meades and GH Smit who will all be in the Guernsey line-up tomorrow. ‘The previous 11 years of defeats would not have happened if a lot of the captains I have played under – specifically someone like Ralph Anthony, who was a terrific skipper and got the best out of his players – had had the side we have had recently. I was very fortunate to take the job on at the right time. It has been a special era in terms of the quality of talent.’
But Biggins emphasised how the essence of the team is still very Sarnian. ‘It is important that we do not lose sight of the fact that the locals have raised their games as well. Stuart Le Prevost and Gary Rich have been the ones to stand out over the five years – their competitive instincts are second to none,’ he said. ‘The determination of the local cricketers has brought so much to the squad. One of the best examples of that was Pierre Moody’s innings three years ago to win us the game in a partnership with Justin Ferbrache. Their determination was immense.
‘A lot of top quality cricketers have arrived in the island. They have been committed to Guernsey cricket – they would not have been playing otherwise – but our success has been borne out by their fitting into the way that we do things.’ Due to having so many quality options at his disposal Biggins the batsman has become something of a peripheral figure. ‘I have tried to concentrate on being a captain rather than a batsman and there is no doubt my own form has suffered,; he admitted. ‘I have tried to accommodate others first and because of that I think I have batted everywhere in the top eight in 27 games as captain. But that was my decision and the idea was to get more from the resources in our line-up. We have a lot of stars in our team and the best thing I could do was to accommodate them and help them perform. In those matches when Biggins has taken charge Guernsey have lost just five times – once to Namibia, twice to Bermuda and twice to the MCC – all high class sides. ‘I have to say we were disappointed to lose those games. That is an indication of how we have progressed,’ he said.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment came this summer and the failure to make at least the semi-finals of the ECC Division Two Championship in Scotland. In typical Biggins fashion he reflected on those 10 days in a considered manner, rather than a downbeat one. ‘We lost to the tournament – we did not play tournament cricket. realistically, we won three games and lost once – not counting the Hellas game [which was awarded to Guernsey due to a player ineligibility] – and that record compares with everyone in the tournament except Norway who won it. We just lost the wrong game and, if anything, the tour taught us to play each game as we see it and prepare for each game equally. ‘There were positives such as the ability to win a very important game against Israel up at Lossiemouth. Out future depended on it and the conditions we played under were absurd. ‘Mentally, it was a tough experience to get through and we showed we could do it.’
Jersey, of course, reached the final of that championship. But the Sarnian skipper insisted that nothing should be read into that ahead of tomorrow’s game because of the personnel changes in both sides with the likes of Smit, Meades, Duke and, for Jersey, Ryan Driver, coming in. He added, though, that this would be the toughest inter-insular of his five in charge. The key, he said, could lie in the greater variety of bowling options at his disposal. ‘The important thing is to react to different situations. We have always been a side who come out with a plan but we have got to be prepared to adapt if things do not go right. ‘The first win in 2002 was the most important, last year was the most convincing and I think this year, should we have a positive result, it would be the most impressive because this is the biggest test we have faced from Jersey. I see nothing between the sides and we have to play to our potential.’

MATCH
Guernsey Press
‘Skipper departs on high’ by Aaron Scoones and Chris Lake

Guernsey have made it five ‘Muratti’ wins out of five. In a rain-affected match at Grainville that saw the Duckworth/Lewis method of calculating a revised total called into action, the visitors claimed a pulsating 15-run victory to ensure that they keep their hands on the HSBC Bank Trophy for the fifth year running.
‘This was the best win I’ve had as Guernsey captain,’ said Andy Biggins after his last game leading the island side. It was a huge test for us today. Our spinners might not have taken as many wickets as they would have liked, but they bowled so well in the conditions against the best Jersey side I’ve seen for the last five years. It would be easy to say that the rain-affected match turned this game into a lottery, but that was far from the truth. If anything we got the worst of the conditions – having won the toss there was nothing that we could complain about, though.’
Island manager Dave Hearse believes his team have got into the habit of winning the big match. ‘Going into the game I felt we had 50/50 chance of winning it, as Jersey have improved,’ he said. ‘It shows that we now know how to win games and that showed when Ryan Driver and Matt Hague got going – I think they panicked. We put pressure on them. We’ve got into a good habit of winning and that’s all to do with winning he last four.’
There were two defining moments in the greens’ victory. The first was an out-of-this-world catch by Ami Banerjee to get rid of opening bat Steve Carlyon for three. A full-stretch, one-handed diving effort at slip, was defined by Biggins as “the best catch I have see in my life”. The second was the dismissal of Jersey’s dangerman Driver for 29 after he and captain Hague had put together a partnership of 74. Matt Oliver caught Driver behind off the bowling of Jeremy Frith at a time when Jersey were in control.
Having restricted Guernsey to 178, Jersey were up with the run-rate and, if the weather had closed in on them at 71 for 2 after 20 overs, the game would have been theirs. As it was , they were left chasing 178 in 37 overs according to the Duckworth/Lewis calculations. ‘I thought we did well in the field to restrict them to 179,’ said Hague afterwards. ‘I had a good partnership going with Ryan until he was out. We knew we had to score as many runs as we could in the top four but, after that, we struggled to score. Still, fair play to Guernsey, who had to deal with the wet conditions just as we did. Like us, they had to cope with a wet ball and they held it together well in the end. But this is a good young team. I’d like to think we can bounce back.’

‘Banerjee stunner in fifth win in a row’ by Aaron Scoones
Rain and lots of it. A constant drizzle plagued Saturday’s HSBC Bank inter-insular at Grainville. It stopped the match for more than an hour and the subsequent reduction in the number of overs from 50 to 41 saw the Duckworth/Lewis method used for the first time in the annual fixture. But what the rain did not do was damped the scintillating cricket as more than 200 travelling Guernsey fans, who easily outnumbered the Jersey supporters, were celebrating their team’s 15-run victory.
It was the fifth year on the trot that the Sarnians have won the big match. The days when Jersey held the trophy for 10 years seem a distant memory now. After winning the toss, Guernsey captain, Andy Biggins, did not hesitate in deciding to bat on a hard wicket that looked like a good batting strip. He may have been regretting his decision as he watched two quick wickets go down. Openers Matt Oliver and Jeremy Frith both fell to Chris Jones’ medium pace with lazy shots as Guernsey slumped to 18 for two
Ami Banerjee and Justin Meades proceeded to take Guernsey forward. But this was halted when Meades, on the pull, was well caught by Johnny Gough at mid-wicket off his twin brother Peter’s off spin. A big score had looked on the cards for the burly Aussie. Guernsey stalwart Stuart Le Prevost carried on where Meades had left off before rain forced the players off the pitch for more than an hour. When they went back on, Le Prevost went for 17, but that brought South African powerhouse GH Smith to the crease, much to the delight of the loud Guernsey support. He did not disappoint as he went about smashing a quickfire 38, including a massive six, before a clever slower ball by Ryan Driver took care of him as the overs were counting down.
A super little cameo from Tim Duke, who hit three fours on the bounce off Driver, saw the visitors post a total of 179 fro 7. The end of the innings saw the Duckworth/Lewis charts come out after the calculations Jersey had 37 overs to reach 178. After another delay as the heavens opened the Caesareans got off to a bad start with both openers, Peter Gough and Steve Carlyon, going cheaply to Duke. Carlyon’s dismissal will go down in inter-insular folklore. Banerjee’s one-handed diving catch at slip was one of the best that those present would have ever seen. He was parallel to the ground and at full stretch when he held onto a ball that was travelling fast. It was an open mouth moment and Carlyon could not believe what he had just seen.
But Guernsey’s euphoria slowly eased as Jersey’s best two batsmen, Driver and Matt Hague, started to take the match away from them. Hague survived an early scare when going for a quick single. Biggins clattered the stumps with a direct hit but Jane Carpenter, the first woman umpire to officiate in the inter-insular, decided the Australian had made his ground, much to the dismay of the Guernsey fielders. A change of bowling from the pavilion end did the trick for the greens as Jeremy Frith, after conceding 10 runs in his first over, got rid of Driver for 29, caught behind by Oliver. And with fellow spinner Gary Rich toiling away at the other end, Guernsey came back into it.
Frith had Hague out for 54 as Meades pulled off a great diving low catch and he also got Jones quickly, smartly stumped by Oliver. Andy Dewhurst came out and tried to put the Sarnians to the sword, clubbing the ball to the boundary before he was out to Banerjee for a quickfire 14. With the tension rising, Tom Minty came out at 139 for seven and hit three boundaries to give Guernsey serious jitters before he went for 16 bowled by Banerjee. It was all over for Jersey when man-of-the-match Banerjee clean-bowled Nigel Crocket first ball to leave them on 163.