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Class tells as veterans beat JICC at GrainvilleBy Ron FeltonJERSEY'S cricket fans and players were treated to a display of sporting excellence at Grainville on Sunday 9th July as former Test stars rolled back the years.The Jersey Side by Side charity Twenty20 match ended in a comfortable seven-wicket victory for the visitors, forged by classy half centuries from Sri Lanka's greatest ever batsman Arivinda de Silva and former England opener Bill Athey.
Good humoured throughout it was still competitive enough to keep the 500 or so who ignored the early morning rain fixed on the star-studded field.
The bulk of the international side were drawn from England ranks past and the JICC, faced with former England international bowlers of the class of Gladstone Small, John Lever, Mark Ilott, Peter Such and David Capel, did well to reach a 155 total for five wickets from their 20 overs, with Tom Minty top-scoring with an excellent 37 before being bowled by de Silva.
The reply, opened by Athey, and Naveed Rafique of sponsors PricewaterhouseCoopers, was solid with the bowling highlight being Bobby Minty's stumping of Athey off the bowling of Andy Brown.
The openers scored 57 and 26 respectively to secure a winning platform. But it was fitting, no one would deny, that it was Sri Lankan de Silva that was to the fore when the match was decided, his unbeaten 55 including some delightful strokeplay that was worthy of a man who will long be remembered as one of the world's top batsmen.
The match, and a cricket dinner and auction the previous evening, helped raise around £20,000 for the Jersey Side by Side charity.