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TWENTY/20 INTER-INSULAR
Rob Batiste, Jersey Evening Post
THE cricket world may have gone Twenty/20 crazy but when it comes to Guernsey-Jersey matches it will be years - if at all - before it succeeds the annual 50-over game in terms of importance.
Guernsey rather fell over the finish line for a five-wicket win in the first 20-over-a-side inter-island game, but both captains agreed that regardless of the result it was not quite the same as winning the one that has half-a-century of history behind it. It was good fun though. Stuart Le Prevost, Guernsey's skipper, said it was always nice to beat Jersey, but added: 'It's obviously slightly different and there's not quite the same intensity as the inter-insular.' Jersey captain Matt Hague was not about to disagree. 'It was treated by both sides as a bit more fun compared to the serious nature of the island game.' Hague won the toss and batted but within seven balls the Jersey challenge was in tatters. Both openers, including himself, fell for a duck to the young Cobo spearhead of Blane Quéripel and Kris Moherndl. Quéripel yorked Jonny Gough with a pearler, while Moherndl knocked over Hague's stumps as the Australian missed a pull shot due to the slowness and low bounce of the damp strip. 'The start you get at the top of the order is imperative,' said Hague. 'The first two overs is where we lost it. We did all right afterwards with the bat considering the start we had, and Guernsey batted well.' But a total of 137 proved to be well within the compass of the home side who raced towards it only to get a trifle careless the nearer they approached the finish line. In the end Guernsey got home with only 12 deliveries to spare when for much of their reply they were skating it. Matt Oliver and Jeremy Frith gave Jersey no early encouragement and within six overs had positively deflated them at 57 without loss. Even when Oliver went for one heave too many next over for 40, from 20 balls, Guernsey moved along nicely with GH Smit taking over Oliver's role as the crasher, while Frith kept the board moving with shots all around the wicket. On 80, Frith holed out to Chris Jones at long on, but Smit ensured there was no loosening of the noose with some fearsome blows. In one Tom Minty over, he crashed three straight drives for four and after 13 Guernsey were 115 for three, Le Prevost having also fallen by then. But the next three overs brought just ten runs and the loss of Smit, bowled by Jones for 37, who also picked up debutant TJ Ozanne cheaply. Andy Biggins, however, was showing no inclination to give his wicket away and at the end of the 18th, Moherndl pulled Jones behind square for four to finish the game. The man-of-the-match award went to Jersey all-rounder Ryan Driver who had rebuilt their innings with a powerful 65. After an understandably cautious start the big left-hander had moved to his 50 with a straight six off Smit which caused a delay after the ball lodged itself in a greenhouse and neither umpire had a ready replacement.
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