CHUGGY PERCHARD and his team maintained their dominance over channel island rivals Guernsey, as a George Richardson 5 wicket haul and Harrison Carlyon’s 85 runs downed the Sarnian’s on their home turf.
“This is a really nice result for us,” said Paul Hutchinson, Jersey’s Director of Cricket. “We wanted to go out there and make a statement, which I feel we achieved. We spoke about going in and playing hard, and our players really took Guernsey head on to get the win.”
Even though there were a plethora of stellar performances among the reds’ squad, one player took a step above the rest, fast bowler George Richardson, who stepped up when it mattered, tallying an impressive five wickets on his way to man of the match honours.
“George [Richardson] was outstanding,” said Jersey captain, Chuggy Perchard, “he’s really come on leaps and bounds.”
As kick off loomed, it was Guernsey’s captain Ollie Nightingale who won the toss, opting to bat first in front of his home crowd. However, his openers struggled to capitalize on first use of the wicket, as wicket-keeper Lucas Barker fell to the first delivery of the contest.
The unfortunate Barker found himself on the end of a vicious Julius Sumerauer short ball, which could only be top-edged to Charlie Brennan at square leg for the unfortunate tag of an Inter Insular royal duck.
Momentum didn’t wane going into the second over, as the starring Richardson looked right at home, sending Barker’s opening partner Ben Fitchet’s stumps flying, both men dismissed first ball without troubling the scorers, a dream start for the visitors.
Bradley endured alongside the Sarnian’s key man Matt Stokes, however he was too bowled in the fifth over, falling victim once again to Richardson’s pace.
Bradley proved the home side’s main stay, contributing a fighting 28 from 42 balls before he was removed in a sucker-punch moment for the hosts on the 13th over’s final ball, the score wavering at 49 for 5 .
This brought out Guernsey skipper Ollie Nightingale to the crease looking to restore some parity, however he too fell victim to Richardson, catching an unfortunate tickle down the leg-side well taken by the tumbling Jake Dunford.
With half the team dismissed, it turned to Tom Nightingale and Ben Ferbrache to work attempt to wrestle back some momentum with a 43 run partnership. Nightingale in particular showed patience and control, mirroring the severity of his team’s position, considering the usual brutal approach to his batting style.
Nightingale was eventually removed for 23, Richardson disturbing his stumps again to claim his fourth, before Adam Martel fell shortly after, chopping on a short ball from the tall paceman to secure his 5-wicket haul from the final delivery of his spell.
Ferbrache fell for 29, trapped leg before wicket by Harrison Carlyon’s off-spin, before a quick-fire 29 from Luke Bichard wrapped up the innings, the Sarnian’s limping off the field, all out for 150 in just 43 overs.
It would have been easy for Jersey to turn a tad complacent entering their batting innings, due to the not so steep chase of 150, but Perchard ensured intensity remained high, saying: “Before the lads went out, we had a chat and really wanted to take them on. The batting innings was absolutely ruthless, our batsmen were very aggressive and clinical, it was a superb performance.”
The experienced opening duo of Harrison Carlyon and Nick Greenwood strolled out for Jersey, looking for the familiar quick start which is exactly what they got. They combined for 39 runs in just over four overs, before Greenwood suffered at the hands of Guernsey’s Adam Martel, trapped LBW for 20 after a failed attempted sweep.
If the early breakthrough looked a positive, the man walking in at three was enough to sink the Sarnian hearts back down. Asa Tribe has not only succeeded in signing a professional contract at Glamorgan CCC, but has proved this season to be an integral part of their setup.
Carlyon and Tribe formed a formidable pairing, scoring at ease off both pace and spin, as Guernsey seemed to have no answers for the Caesarean effort. Carlyon in particular was looking the more aggressive of the two, notching up his half century to back up his economical bowling spell.
The second wicket partnership passed the century mark, but fell just short of seeing their side over the line as Carlyon eventually fell for a well-made 85 from just 80 deliveries, which included 12 fours and 2 sixes, caught by Tom Nightingale off the promising young leg-spinner Freddie Forshaw.
Tribe remained however and he calmly walked his side over the line, finishing 41 not out from 52 balls as Jersey completed their 8 wicket victory in just 25.2 overs.
“This commanding result was exactly what we were hoping for,” added skipper Perchard. “Making such a dent early on with the ball was massive for us and we continued that domination throughout.
“I’m pretty happy with the performance, however that wasn’t us at our best. We weren’t going 100% and there are definitely things to work on. Team spirit at the minute is great, everyone’s excited and hungry to carry on the momentum into the upcoming challenge league. The fact that we’re hosting only adds to the excitement, playing at home doesn’t happen too often so it’s very special.”
Although it was a shut-out victory, coach Hutchinson was keen to identify key areas of improvement, especially with upcoming fixtures holding high quality opposition: “In the fielding department, we weren’t as good as I’d like it to be, I would like that to be a bit more fluent.”
Perchard noted: “We needed maybe an extra 10% in the field there, I think that standards perhaps dipped slightly due to the circumstances of the game. We have time to work on this, and I am totally confident that the team will find that extra gear and carry on the momentum.”
Jersey’s George Richardson was awarded for his efforts with the Man of the Match trophy, his final figures reading 10 overs, 1 maiden, 5 for 38.
Perchard continued on Richardson, saying: “after spending a bit of time on the sidelines and struggling with injuries, he’s worked so hard to get to where he is right now, working a lot on fitness and he’s an exceptional athlete.
“It’s great to see him become a thinking cricketer. Jersey has been calling out for class acts in the fast bowling department, so it’s brilliant that he’s stepped up. Having more options in this area is a great sign for the future of Jersey cricket, allowing the team to be a lot more adaptable in our approach, as well as having more competition for places, which is always good for pushing players to their best.”
Jersey men are next back in action on August 21 when they welcome Kenya to Farmers Field on day 1 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League A. This tournament will see Jersey face off against Kenya, Kuwait, Qatar, Papua New Guinea and Denmark in an attempt to take a big leap closer to 50 over World Cup status.
Man of the Match: George Richardson
Jersey squad:
Chuggy Perchard (c), Charlie Brennan, Harrison Carlyon, Jake Dunford, Ed Giles, Patrick Gouge, Nick Greenwood, Josh Lawrenson, Will Perchard, Theo Pullman, George Richardson, Julius Sumerauer, Asa Tribe, Zak Tribe
Guernsey squad:
Ollie Nightingale (c), Lucas Barker, Luke Bichard, Martin-Dale Bradley, Ben Ferbrache, Ben Fitchet, Charlie Forshaw, Adam Martel, Tom Nightingale, Ant Stokes, Matt Stokes
Follow the link below to access the full scorecard.
