The defending champions – winners of Jersey’s premier midweek tournament in five of the last six seasons – deployed hefty cannons of their own at Grainville on Friday night but their efforts to sink a revitalised Trafalgar Pirates side were repelled.
Young prodigies Harrison Carlyon [43] and Julius Sumerauer [59] threatened to ruin Pirates’ first JEP final appearance with assured knocks on the chase, although man-of-the-match Jonty Jenner’s earlier masterclass, helping his team to 146/6, ultimately proved the difference.
An unbeaten 88 off 44 balls, including four 6s and seven 4s, steered Hautlians CC’s Pirates to a seven-run success – only guaranteed with one ball to spare in the second innings as Beeches targeted two boundaries for a cup hat-trick.
Winning captain Rob Searle said: ‘Jonty is at another level to everyone else. Some of the shots he played …
‘We did well with 146 – we gave them ten-an-over to chase, which is a good target, but it was tight. Julius and Harrison got them off to a good start and it was looking dicey at halfway but Myles Landick and Tim Corson took the pace off it really well, they made it really difficult for them.
‘We dropped a few catches which we normally would have had but everyone stayed keen and was up for it. They all got into it and that made the difference.’
Searle added: ‘It’s very good for the club. We had ten or 12 extra guys here who just came to watch and it’s all about that atmosphere – getting everyone down to enjoy it. It’s more than just cricket … the barbecue’s out, we’ve got a bit of music and I think we all bounced off that.’
Jenner set the tone in the opening over with two boundaries off Ben Kynman and the Island batsman continued to reap rewards without too much bother. He peppered the gaps with nifty flicks and power strokes to quickly surpass the 30-run-mark, while fellow Pirates Dom Glennon [15], Michael Ahier [6] and Daniel Blasco [1] came and went.
De-Nyi Thomas, possibly one of the only players in the world of cricket with a three-digit number on his back (441), claimed three wickets from his three overs but Beeches were unable to stem the steady flow of runs.
Jenner hammered a six over deep cover to take himself to 45 in the tenth over, and duly matched that feat on the next ball he faced with a monster clearance over long off.
‘We’re just feeding him,’ said one Beeches fielder, as the scoreboard ticked past 100.
With Scott Simpson now keeping Jenner company, Pirates’ tally soon turned from respectable to formidable. Bowler Carlyon was welcomed to the game with two consecutive sixes, including a reverse sweep over deep point, before Beeches squandered the only opportunity Jenner handed them. Dropped by Kynman.
The first innings was somewhat tarnished by a splattering of unsavoury language from the fielding unit towards the umpires but Pirates’ pitchside barbecue offered just enough flavour to keep the mood light.
Having set a target of 147 for victory Searle’s men were put under pressure by Sumerauer and Carlyon, with a first-ball four from the latter sending Beeches on their way.
The pair reached a combined 56 inside five overs and were approaching 90 by the time Carlyon’s wicket fell to Landick. It was the breakthrough Pirates craved and when Sumerauer was hooked by fisherman Corson the tide began to turn back in their favour.
Beeches’ tally did continue to rise at a notable pace although they lacked the boundaries found by their opponents before the changeover. Singles and twos were a regularity but they did still manage to take the game to the final six balls, having required ten-an-over with three remaining. With five wickets in hand a tie at 146 would have been enough. Roles were reversed as Jenner dropped Kynman with three balls left but the batsman’s reprieve was short-lived. Caught on the next ball at deep midwicket when back-to-back boundaries were needed.
Game over.
