Farmers Caesareans 239-5 (W. Perchard 62*, S. Norman 57; T. Merrien 2-45)
Norman Piette Cobo 73 (O. Nightingale* 16; T. Shenton 3-2, J. Lawrenson 2-10, T. Britton 2-20)
Farmers Caesareans won by 166 runs
Player of the Match: Josh Lawrenson
FARMERS CAESAREANS claimed the 2026 Channel Island league with a dominant 166-run victory over Norman Piette Cobo at a sunny Farmers Field.
The visitors from Guernsey, despite missing several key players, won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Farmers’ exciting top order made full effect of the best of conditions.
Openers Chuggy Perchard and Stan Norman got the hosts off to a fast start, bringing up the 50 in just the seventh over with a flurry of boundaries and some excellent running between the wickets.
Seamers Kieran Le Gallez and Mattie Collivet looked ineffective early, but the introduction of twin left-arm spinners Dan Brown and Max Ellis began to slow the rate slightly.
Ellis in particular was outstanding, beating the bat on numerous occasions. His figures of 0 for 15 from eight overs proved by far the standout, but he could not turn his economy into wickets.
All five other bowlers went at comfortably over five runs an over, with Collivet, Brown and Tony Merrien going at over seven runs per over.
Perchard (right) struck Brown over extra cover for a glorious six, but he was caught behind the next delivery for a well-made 41, the partnership finally broken in the 14th over for 85.
Incoming Josh Lawrenson has spent much of his last few months travelling around Asia, but he looked far from out of sorts.
He settled into his work nicely, while watching his partner Norman stroll to a classy half century.
Norman too would fall though. After smashing consecutive boundaries off the medium pace of Merrien, his attempted pull shot could only find his bottom edge onto leg stump, bowled for 57.
Joining Lawrenson at four was another Jersey international star in Will Perchard, the man apparently allergic to getting out this season.
From 107 for 2, the pair added a traditionally classy third wicket partnership of 95 at a good clip.
Lawrenson would fall short of his half century however. After attempting to switch-hit Merrien over third man, the ball crashed into his pad rather than the bat, and he was trapped LBW for an excellent 44.
Perchard continued however, bringing up his own half century in a trademark composed manner, continuing on to finish unbeaten on 62 from 68 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper Jack Kemp smashed a big six as he made 13 and young Sol Bennett was stumped off the final ball of the innings by Alex Bushell.
Farmers would have been happy at half way however, their score 239 for 5 at almost exactly a run a ball on a wicket that was definitely offering some spin.
All of the top four contributed significantly and, aside from Ellis, none of the Cobo attack could settle into a steady rhythm.
Facing a stern chase with both openers Josh Butler and Tom Nightingale missing, Cobo fell apart early.
Seeing the spin on offer in the first dig, Toby Britton took the new ball alongside paceman George Richardson, but it was the tall quick who got the early breakthrough.
After a tidy first over from Britton, Richardson charged down the hill and delivered the textbook yorker to send Collivet packing for a duck.
The experienced Ollie Newey entered at 3, but he too would fall for a duck, chipping a soft catch to Richardson at cover off Britton in the third over.
Fellow opener Louis Day battled for 21 deliveries before a beauty from Britton (left) found his outside edge, smartly taken by Kemp behind the stumps.
And 13 for 3 became 14 for 4 when swatted a tame pull shot to mid on for just four off Chuggy Perchard.
With the innings in tatters, skipper Ollie Nightingale and keeper Alex Bushell set about trying to restore some parity.
But Bushell would fall for 14, bowled through the gate by a jaffer from Lawrenson, Shet was run out in calamitous fashion by Britton for 0, then the skipper himself was caught behind off Shenton by Kemp, the visitors dead and buried at 52 for 7.
The end was nigh, and it followed quickly, the final three wickets falling for 21 runs.
Shenton picked up both Le Gallez and Merrien to finish with outstanding figures of 3 for 2 from a six over spell that included four maidens.
It was Josh Lawrenson to claim the winning scalp however, cleaning up Dan Brown to pick up his second and with it, the player of the match award.
Unbeaten throughout the CI League format, Farmers Caesareans captain Rhys Palmer accepted the trophy and hoisted it aloft in front of an adoring home crowd, well and truly the deserved champions.
To see the full scorecard, click the link:
https://farmers.play-cricket.com/website/results/7757927
Farmers Caesareans: Rhys Palmer (c), Jack Kemp (WK), Stan Norman, Chuggy Perchard, Josh Lawrenson, Will Perchard, Sol Bennett, George Richardson, Tom Shenton, Ollie Ramage, Toby Britton, Will Church
Norman Piette Cobo: Ollie Nightingale (c), Alex Bushell (WK), Louis Day, Matt Collivet, Ollie Newey, Charlie Birch, Tony Merrien, Chait Shet, Kieran Le Gallez, Dan Brown, Max Ellis
