JERSEY secured an emphatic victory against Bermuda yesterday to end their week in Uganda with a perfect record.
Electing to bat, the Islanders compiled 371 runs at the Kyambogo Oval in Kampala – their highest of an ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B tournament in which they had already recorded wins against the hosts, Kenya, Italy and Hong Kong.
An opening stand of 168 created the foundation for the win, with Harrison Carlyon playing a large part in that before tearing into the Bermuda batsmen with the ball – taking a five-wicket haul in a man of the match performance.
Carlyon was the first Jersey wicket to go, falling lbw to a full toss from Cameron Jeffers after scoring 73. His opening partner, Nick Greenwood, went on to make his century, before losing his wicket on 106 in the 26th over, glancing one down the onside.
Jonty Jenner (52) and Julius Sumerauer, whose 41 runs including three sixes, also made significant contributions to a daunting Jersey total, as they put themselves in a strong position for round three of the round-robin tournament, which concludes on home soil in August.
Just one nation will progress to the next stage of qualifying for India 2023, at the end of a 15-game campaign spread across three years. Jersey began with three defeats from five in Oman, in 2019.
Asked about the big opening stand, Carlyon said: ‘It was great, we’ve had some good opening partnerships so far. It was nice this time to be able to convert from a good start to a good score.’
He was pleased to take the wickets too, light-heartedly saying: ‘I don’t often take many wickets so it’s quite nice. I just sort of bowl straight and hope people miss it, to be honest.’
Bermuda were always behind the required run rate yesterday and their first wicket fell in the seventh over as some tidy fielding by Josh Lawrenson ran out Dominic Sabir, who had struggled to three runs.
Dalin Richardson was out for a duck in the next over, lbw to Carlyon attempting a sweep shot to a full ball.
Another lbw decision did for Amri Ebbin in the ninth, this time Chuggy Perchard was the bowler, while Carlyon was at it again in the next over, trapping Steven Bremar lbw on another duck.
Bermuda finally survived an over without any further damage, before Carlyon sent the stumps flying when Zeko Burgess failed to defend.
As the wickets tumbled, Bermuda captain Kamau Leverock went about compiling a half century.
Just eight balls later he lost another partner, Cameron Jeffers being Carlyon’s next victim, caught on the offside by Dominic Blampied for just two runs.
The bowler chalked up his fifth wicket as Jabari Darrell missed a good length ball having added only one to the total.
Leverock’s resistance – and that of Bermuda – came to an end in the 17th over. Julius Sumerauer had only just come back into the bowling attack, with Perchard taking the catch near the boundary.
Two balls later, Sumerauer trapped Jamar Stovel lbw, before he finished off the Bermudan innings with a yorker which Jelani Richardson failed to defend. They had reached 80 runs.
Neil MacRae’s men move on to Namibia this week to prepare for their next international tournament – the 2022 T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which begins on 11 July.
