Inter Insular #7 1958

The match was played at Victoria College, Jersey
on Thursday 28th August 1958
Umpires K G Clayton (Guernsey) and L H Honey (Jersey)
Scorers (Guernsey) and Mrs L H Honey (Jersey)
Toss won by Jersey who elected to bat
Match drawn (Rain delayed start by 45 mins)

Jersey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Guernsey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER
+†M MallinsoncClarkbEley55-13250Self21836263.01.7
R OsmentbOffen0-600Offen15441245.02.7
B OllierlbwbOffen1-1700Le Poidevin209112.04.5
P R Le CrascOffenbLe Poidevin15-2711Eley9044318.04.9
R KnowlesbEley38-8740Foster5014215.02.8
*P O'BrienstRobilliardbEley1-1300
G W KnightstRobilliardbFoster18-2830
F Le MarquandbSelf9-1800
P G BromleycStonebFoster5-1910
G JervisbSelf1-300
T Knightnotout1-1100
Extras (b0, lb1, w1, nb1)3
Total (in 52 overs)147
Fall of wickets
1-0(Osment),2-6(Ollier),3-35(Le Cras),4-78(Mallinson),5-87(Knowles),6-94(O'Brien),7-138(Le Marquand),8-144(Knight),9-146(Jervis),10-147(Bromley)

Guernsey innings    RunsBallsMins4s6sSR Jersey bowlingOvMdnRunsWktsWNbSRER 
J FosterhitwktbLe Marquand27--20T Knight703004.3
R D SelfcOsmentbBromley17--30Bromley60201363.3
*R W ClarkcLe MarquandbJervis20--10Jervis40191244.8
R C N RousselbLe Marquand33--40Le Marquand102393203.9
H V Stonerunout20--11G Knight70292214.1
W F DrucecLe MarquandbG Knight5--00
J Le PoidevinbLe Marquand1--00
G Offennotout12--10
D B LloydstMallinsonbG Knight2--00
+†W Robilliarddnb
C Eleydnb
Extras (b5, lb1, w0, nb0)6
Total (for 8 wkts in 34 overs)143
Fall of wickets
1-20(Self),2-64(Foster),3-74(Clark),4-107(Roussel),5-125(Druce),6-126(Stone),7-130(Le Poidevin), 8-143(Lloyd)

PREVIEW

Post

D Bowen originally chosen to play for Jersey had to withdraw and he has been replaced by F Le Marquand.

MATCH

Star

‘Exciting finish to Inter-Island cricket match’

G Offen took over and with one over to go 10 runs were still needed. Offen took three off the first delivery and his partner D Lloyd, who had come to the team at the 11th hour following an accident by B L T Forte in England the previous day, took 2 off the next. Only 5 runs were needed and 4 deliveries to go. Everything pointed to a Guernsey victory. But the young Elizabeth College batsman was unable to get the wily veteran G Knight away again and off the last delivery of the match he was stumped. Guernsey had just failed and the match was drawn.

Post

P O’Brien stated, ‘The wicket was as dead as mutton’

Press

‘A moral victory for Guernsey’

For the second year in succession the Guernsey-Jersey cricket match was drawn. Last year at the College Field, Jersey looked the better side. But at Victoria College ground, Jersey yesterday the Guernsey team gained a moral victory.

After dismissing their opponents for a moderate 147 Guernsey had a score the runs in only 100 minutes on a field that was sodden through heavy rain. This made the outfield slow and on top of this Guernsey batsmen had to contend with a defensive field. Nevertheless they went very close and when stumps were drawn at 6pm Guernsey were only five runs from their target and two wickets were in hand. At the beginning of the final over ten runs were required. G Offen hit G Knight’s first delivery for three and D Lloyd, who had been called upon to play at the last moment when news from England was received to the effect that B Foote had been involved in a car accident, hit two off the second. Only five runs were needed from four deliveries. But the Jersey veteran bowler tied up the young Elizabeth College batsman and indeed had him stumped off the last ball of the match.

Heavy rain in the early morning delayed the start of play for 45 minutes. The wicket was very wet and of little help to either batsmen or bowler. Jersey made a very slow and disastrous start. They scored only nine runs in the first half an hour and in the process lost two wickets. But M Mallinson helped firstly by P Le Cras and then R Knowles saved the situation. Sixty-four runs were scored in the pre-lunch spell of 75 minutes. Mallinson batted splendidly and was eventually out to a brilliant one-handed catch by R Clark, the Guernsey skipper, at extra cover.

For Guernsey, who were hit badly by Foote’s absence, R Self and G Offen bowled admirably. Self continued his good work when he opened the innings and his hard-hit 17 came out of a total of 20 runs. J Foster and Clark pushed the scoring along smoothly before the latter mistimed a drive and was caught by deep mid-on F Le Marquand. Then Foster was desperately unlucky to be out. He missed a short delivery from Le Marquand and the ball struck him on the ear. As he reeled backwards his bat struck the wicket and he was out. He received attention and had two stitches inserted in a cut on the lobe of his ear.

Star

Exciting finish to Inter-Island cricket match

Guernsey failed by only five runs to beat Jersey in the annual cricket fixture which was played at Victoria College Ground, Jersey, yesterday. Set to score 148 for victory in 100 minutes the Guernsey batsmen fell a little behind the clock. With only half an hour to go 60 runs were still required. R Roussel and H Stone were batting well and it seemed as if victory might be gained.

Then Roussel was bowled and W Druce and J Le Poidevin were out cheaply trying to force the pace. Then disaster … Stone was run out. G Offen took over and with one over to go ten runs were still needed. Offen took three off the first delivery and his partner D Lloyd – who had come into the team at the eleventh hour following an accident to BLT Foote in England the previous day – took two off the next. Only five runs needed and four deliveries to go.

Everything pointed to a Guernsey victory. But the young Elizabeth College batsman was unable to get the wily veteran G Knight away again and off the last delivery of the match he was stumped. Guernsey had just failed and the match was drawn. But the local players have the consolation of gaining a moral victory. They had been on top of their opponents for most of the time and dismissed them for only 147.

Self bowled particularly well and he was well supported by Offen. Opening batsman Mallinson had a delightful knock for Jersey and only he and Knowles looked confident. Heavy rain in the morning delayed the start of the match for 45 minutes. Stumps were drawn at 6pm because the Guernsey side had to catch an early evening plane.

REVIEW

Star

‘Time factor prevented a Guernsey victory’ by Guernsey Star Sports Reporter

But for the weather, which has been so unhelpful this season, the most successful cricket team Guernsey has ever enjoyed would have ended in a fitting climax … a victory in the inter-insular match. There is little doubt that, but for the 45 minutes missed from the morning session because of rain, Guernsey would have won in the match, which was played on Victoria College Field, Jersey on Thursday.

To score 148 runs in 100 minutes against a defensive field and on a slow field was a tall order. Guernsey failed gallantly by a meagre five runs. It is quite probable that but for an unfortunate accident to star batsman John Foster, who was hit on the ear by a sharp rising delivery from F Le Marquand, Guernsey would have won anyway.

Foster reeled backwards following the blow and his bat dislodged the bails. He left the ground to have two stitches inserted in the lobe of his ear and when he returned he stated his willingness to bat on … he did not realise he was out!

In actual fact each of the first five Guernsey batsmen ‘came off’. Roger Self, who opened with Foster, hit the ball hard from the word ‘go’. His score soon raced into double figures and when he was out, groping for a ball outside his off stump, he had scored 17 out of 20.

Skipper ‘Nobby’ Clark, whose ambition was to captain a winning Guernsey side against Jersey, carried on where Self had left off and if his shots were not quite so confident or clean he did nevertheless push the score along.

Robin Roussel and ‘Bill’ Stone took a little time to settle in, then they too hit hard, but while they were settling in the Guernsey score fell behind the required rate.

Sixty runs were required when only half-an-hour’s play remained. Stone raised the tempo with a tremendous six to long on – which was incidentally the longest boundary on this strange almost oval-shaped pitch. Then four wickets fell cheaply with the batsmen losing their wickets going for the runs. It was Graham Offen, who had earlier performed so well with the ball, who put Guernsey in a winning position. Ten runs in the last over was not impossible. In fact it looked quite probable that they would be had, especially when five came off the first two deliveries …, but those runs proved to be the last of the match.

On the whole I was not impressed with the Jersey side. I fully appreciate that they were unable to field their strongest side – but neither could Guernsey. I feel quite confident that given the same amount of time Jersey had, 155 minutes, Guernsey would have hit off the required runs for the loss of only a few wickets.

One Jersey player who did look good was Miles Mallinson, their number one. He almost dominated the batting while at the crease. His half century came shortly after the lunch interval. When he was out it was to a brilliant one-handed catch by Clark at extra cover.

Star of the match was Roger Self. This ex-Elizabeth College student has had a grand season and, surprisingly, has starred mainly with the ball. At College he was never classed as a bowler. He bowled 21 overs and conceded only 36 runs. The brunt of the Guernsey bowling was thrust on him when Brian Foote was unable to travel from England. In the main he just kept the batsmen at bay but he thoroughly deserved the two wickets he got, even though one was from almost a full toss.

Offen bowled well in a different way. The speedier, he was a little less steady and his analysis suffered when he was ‘carted’ for 11 in one over. His glory came in his first two overs when he gave Guernsey a decided advantage with two cheap wickets. In that hectic over of his P Le Cras, who was just getting into his swing, pulled one delivery for a tremendous six to square leg. The ball cleared the boundary, the fence, the road, a high wall and was eventually found in a greenhouse. But the amazing fact is that no glass was broken. The ball had, apparently, entered through a fan light which was open roughly nine inches!

For a match of this importance – for it the equivalent of football’s Muratti or the Inter-Insular swimming competition – surprisingly few people watched. Admittedly, cricket in the Channel Islands does not have a great spectator appeal, but one would expect more than a handful of fans to be present at the match of the year.

As stated the match started 45 minutes late because of rain, a further 25 minutes were wasted because players had to travel some distance by car for lunch, and because the Guernsey party had to catch the 6.50pm plane the match had to end at six. So, in actual fact, the match lasted no longer than a normal afternoon fixture – hardly enough time for the islands’ best teams to show their paces. Still, the match proved to be a worthwhile venture. The Guernsey team did enough, I think, to suggest that we have a slight advantage over Jersey at the moment in one sport at least!