JERSEY have had their application to become affiliate members of the International Cricket Council accepted.
And they will be joined by Channel Islands neighbours Guernsey and Mali and Slovenia.
All four were given the nod of approval to join by ICC by members at their annual conference at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London yesterday.
Jersey Cricket Board president Keith Dennis said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted.
Jersey now has the opportunity to play cricket on the European stage at all levels from the age of 13 upwards through to the full Island side.
‘It will help keep the younger players in the game and really give them something to play for.
We have excellent facilities in Jersey and I also feel that it will be a welcome boost for Jersey Tourism in the years to come.
‘We must now wait for the official confirmation but I believe we have been accepted for the start of the 2006 season.
We will have a minimum of two years to prove ourselves against European countries and hopefully that will earn us Associate status which will then mean we will be eligible for ICC funding.
‘In the meantime we will look to get finance in place to play matches and hopefully we will get the support of everyone.
‘The airlines seen to be intransigent at the moment and we need their support.
We need more flexibility on bookings because we he have to change a passenger’s name because of injury we are then penalised by have to pay extra charges and I really think that is quite unnecessary.’ Dennis says that Grainville will become the headquarters for Jersey’s ICC cricket and that the facility is excellent.
‘It is an extremely exciting time for the players and I hope everyone at all levels give the ICC venture their full support,’ Dennis added.
‘We are moving upmarket and the game will need to be run extremely efficiently.
Apart from development officer Chris Minty all our administrators to begin with will be voluntary and anyone with quality administrational experience will be welcome to come and join us.’ Belgium, Botswana, Japan, Kuwait and Thailand were upgraded from Affiliate to Associate status yesterday taking the ICC’s total membership to 96.
The ECB and the Cricket Foundation will continue to fund Jersey during their time as affiliate members of the ICC.
