Michael Taylor

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It had been evident from the beginning of this tournament that Guernsey and Jersey were the two stand-out sides, and it was just that the winner of the European U-15 2nd Division Championships should be one of these two teams, who contested the competition’s final yesterday at the La Manga Club, Spain.

With the two islands being such close neighbours, the intense rivalry that such proximity brings gave the encounter yesterday an added spice, but one that did not detract from the excellent spirit in which a thoroughly competitive match was played at a truly impressive standard.

Winning the toss, Jersey captain Tom de la Haye invited Guernsey to bat, a decision that paid instant dividends. Firstly, CJ Peatfield was snared in the gully by Corey Bisson after getting a thick edge on an attempted drive off Andrew Rabet, who then picked up Will Thompson, spooning a catch to Bradley Rimeur at cover while trying to work the ball on the leg side.

There then followed the crux of the match, a championship-winning stand of 93 between Adam Hindle (48) and Thomas Kirk (29), who was dropped in the gully on 1.

His reprieve was only one of half a dozen from the Jersey fielders, whose hands had been perfectly safe until the final, and it was these missed chances, in addition to too many wides (so disappointing for such a usually disciplined attack) that allowed the Guernsey batsmen to post 189-7 in their 35 overs.

Even when Hindle and Kirk had been dismissed, both caught by James Faudemer off the bowling of Stephen Blackburn (3-26), 22 from Rhys Beard at better than a run a ball kept the early momentum going through the middle and later overs.

It had been through these periods that Jersey were accustomed to pulling away from their opposition during the week, with their left-arm spinners Joseph Mayes and Faudemer sprinting through their overs, but in spite of bowling well, neither was allowed to settle as Guernsey’s aggression nullified one of their neighbours’ most important advantages.

In spite of this, a target of 190 was not impassible, so long as at least a couple of Jersey’s key men could ‘get in’ and go on to the big scores that were undoubtedly needed.

As it was, Guernsey’s opening bowlers, Matthew Renouf and Andrew Hutchinson began with immaculate lines and lengths, passing the bat frequently, before Renouf finally drew Aidan McGuire into edging a wider delivery to Will Thompson behind the stumps.

With the required run rate reaching around eight an over, even before the first drinks break, a valiant charge was needed, but with Tom Still picking up Bradley Rimeur and Joseph Mayes the situation worsened.

Jersey captain Tom de la Haye then found himself at the crease with a lower middle-order who had had little time to bat over the past six days, and had even less time to adapt to their current situation.

Thomas Kirk then introduced himself to the attack and his off-spin picked up three wickets, McAviney, Blackburn and Bisson, as Jersey struggled valiantly to keep up with the run rate.

As the wickets tumbled, de la Haye played a lone hand at the other end. His 46 was the highest score made against Guernsey in the whole tournament and included three massive sixes, two of which cleared the protective netting covering the ground’s straight boundaries.

When he was eight out with the score at 111, however, Jersey had to accept second place and batted through the remaining overs to finish nine down for 120.

In reflection, no one could deny that Guernsey were deserved winners and 69 runs was a fair reflection of the gulf between the two sides on the day, but both sides have been, and will continue to be, shining examples of the development that is taking place throughout cricketing circles in Europe.

Guernsey’s captain Thomas Kirk later received the European U-15 2nd Division Championships trophy from ECC Development Manager and Tournament Director Richard Holdsworth at the following presentation dinner, and Kirk was also named as the Player of the Tournament, having scored 183 runs and taken 9 wickets in his five matches.