Guernsey U15s beat Jersey to land first ICC title

Guernsey inflicted a heavy 69 run defeat over Channel Island rival Jersey in the final of the European U15 Division 2 Championship to secure its first ever ICC title in La Manga, Spain.

Having already taken gold in both the U19 and U23 Division 2 Championships, Jersey was looking to add the U15 medals to its collection but could not overcome the 189-run target which had been set by Guernsey even though their star batsman Tim Ravenscroft was missing from their line up. The youngster was in England scoring a century for Hampshire's Under-17s.

Tim de la Haye hits out in vain for Jersey

The two sides had prevailed throughout the competition, each winning all four group matches against the other eight teams in the competition. As such close neighbours, the two teams have developed an intense rivalry giving their encounters an added spice. Despite this keen sense of competition, the match was played in an excellent spirit and exhibited impressively high standards of cricket.

Wicketkeeper Le Lievre

Winning the toss, Jersey captain Tim de la Haye invited Guernsey to bat, a decision that paid immediate dividends as Guernsey’s openers both went cheaply. But a championship-winning stand of 93 between Adam Hindle (48) and Thomas Kirk (29) proved decisive and the Guernsey batsmen went on to post 189-7 in their 35 overs.

Faudener appeals

The 190 target required Jersey’s “key men” to produce some solid batting but openers Aidan McGuire and Bradley Rimeur removed for one and seven respectively and number three Joseph Mayes made only 11, so it was down to skipper de la Haye to chase down an increasingly daunting target.

Jersey celebrations premature

Unfortunately the captain found himself at the crease with a lower middle-order who had had little time to prepare over the previous six days, and had even less time to adapt to their current situation. This showed and no one was able to reach double figures. Jersey had to accept second place and batted through the remaining overs to finish 69 runs short on 120-9.

Haye’s 46 was the highest score made against Guernsey in the whole tournament and included three sixes, two of which cleared the protective netting covering the ground’s straight boundaries.

Guernsey’s unstoppable bowling attack of Matthew Renouf and Andrew Hutchinson bowled with immaculate line and length and Thomas Kirk, eventual Player of the Tournament, and Thomas Still both took three wickets.

Meanwhile on the other pitch, the match for third place saw the Isle of Man beat Spain by seven wickets, clearing the target of 137 in 28.3 overs for the loss of three wickets. Belgium took fifth place, beating Italy by six wickets and in the 7th/8th place play-off, Germany beat Cyprus by 19 runs.

In the match for 9th and 10th positions, Gibraltar beat France by 89 runs to take 9th place leaving France to claim the wooden spoon, but there was some consolation as the French took the MCC Spirit of Cricket Award.

The win by Guernsey represented continued success for the Guernsey Cricket Board who won the ICC Development Annual Award for the Best Development Program in 2006 and confirms that cricket development on the island has never been stronger. Both Guernsey and Jersey, who also won two ICC Development Program Annual Awards in 2006, are shining examples of the development that is taking place in Europe.