And just two weeks after ending champions Sporting Club’s long unbeaten run, Romerils dealt another championship blow, this time to Caesareans who toppled from the top after they were beaten by six wickets.Island all-rounder Mark Saralis was the Romerils star at FB1 as he celebrated his recall to the Island fray for Saturday’s inter-insular in Guernsey with a fine innings of 95 (including 18 boundaries) and two wickets for 19 runs in ten overs.Caesareans were dismissed for 156.Under-21 player Richard Anthony also bowled well, the medium-fast bowler’s seven overs resulting in three wickets for 17 runs leaving Caesareans all out for 156.Saralis said: ‘I’m delighted with my form and I should really have gone on to make a century.
I was hitting the ball very well and I really should not have played the ball I was out to as I popped up a catch to the mid-on fielder.’Romerils started the season with not a lot of belief but now a few wins and we’re on a roll and playing with a lot of confidence.
We’re the form team with five wins on the trot and if we can maintain our form and finish third that would certainly surpass the expectations we had at the beginning of the season.’Romerils’ attack was also well-supported in Saturday’s victory by tight bowling from Nigel Crocker and Peter Blackburn.Sporting Club returned to the top of the table after they defeated Old Victorians by ten runs at Grainville.
The title will now be decided in a showdown between the top two – Sporting Club and Caesareans – on Saturday 23 August at FB1.
SCF currently lead Caesareans by ten points.SCF skipper Tony Carlyon said: ‘The title decider is set up nicely now and it should be a good game.
If we are to win we will have to play better than we did on Saturday when we batted with little or no urgency and it nearly cost us in the end.’There were execeptions, Steve Carlyon was solid for his 47 while an unbeaten 31 late on from Trevor Rousseau took us to 177 when I was hoping for around 210.’OVs got a half decent start and they were 41 without loss after ten overs.
We then got two wickets in two balls and with only one other good partnership we were able to hold them back with some tight bowling all round.’Opener James Mashiter played the anchor role for the OVs with 64 runs off 130 balls.St Ouen bowler Craig Douglas returned the best bowling figures of the season, five wickets for three runs in ten overs including eight maidens.St Ouen needed to make a solid start replying to Old Codgers’ 95 all out but they made a bad start as Rob Tewkesbury fell first ball to the in-form Barry Middleton.Martin Amy helped repair the damage with 27 before he too had his stumps removed by Middleton.Richard Gomersall, Craig Douglas and Dave Clark all fell cheaply leaving St Ouen five wickets down.A solid 30 not out from Mark Tribe, with partnerships from Danny Moffat and Paul Horton (16 not out), eventually saw St Ouen home.As well as Douglas’ excellent spell, in his first match in two months, young Danny Blasco further emphasised his ranking as one of the Island’s best spinners by taking two wickets for 30 runs in ten overs.Only Old Codgers’ Derek de la Haye really looked comfortable on a wicket that players had to be very watchful of.Yesterday Sporting Club Reserves won through to Division II’s Minor Cup final after they defeated nine-man Springfield by 37 runs at Les Quennevais.
