PREMIER cricket returns this evening with the final round of T20 action before Finals Day.
It’s all to play for tonight in the Brooks Macdonald Premier T20 competition, as RGA Walkovers take on Rathbones Old Victorians at Grainville and table-topping Farmers CC welcome ATF St Ouen Springfield.
The league table has taken quite the turn in the last two rounds. The previously unbeaten defending champions have suffered back-to-back defeats after three opening wins, while Farmers have climbed to the top of the table and Walkovers scored their first win of the campaign over SOS.
T20 Finals Day, held on 29 June at Farmers Cricket Club, will see the top-three teams from the league compete.
The league winners will qualify straight into the final in the afternoon, while second and third-place finishers will face off in an eliminator in the morning.
After recording their first win last time out, Walkovers are serving up a strong line-up to face the OV’s tonight, with Jersey international leg-spinner Ben Ward making the team sheet alongside the returning Michael Ahier.
A match-winning knock from Robin Carnegie against SOS, combined with the dependent Nick Ferraby up top gives them a powerful batting line-up capable of toppling any side in the league.
The OV’s will be looking to find their best form again before the two-week break. After three solid wins to start the season, they struggled both against SOS at Les Quennevais and again against Farmers last weekend.
On an excellent batting track, the top order failed to contribute as effectively as they would have liked. Charlie Brennan’s excellent 57 was the only score of note.
The defending champions will feel excited to have Scott Simpson back after a fantastic debut for Jersey against Denmark earlier this week, where he took four wickets in their second game, which they won comfortably.
A win for the OV’s could still secure them top spot, but it would require a favour from Harrison Carlyon’s SOS beating Farmers.
This will be no easy task, as the men in green have hit excellent form in recent weeks.
The addition of Nick Greenwood to their ranks has made quite the impact, his performances with both bat and ball making a big difference in their last two wins.
Young wicket-keeper Jack Kemp shone in last week’s win over OV’s with a match-winning 75 not out, while spinner Toby Britton has been in sparkling form with the ball.
SOS find themselves currently in third place after their loss to Walkovers at Grainville last time out.
Skipper Carlyon has starred with both bat and ball for his side and will relish having the returning Patrick Gouge in his batting line-up.
The spin trio of Elliot Miles, Dom Blampied and Carlyon himself have wreaked havoc on the league so far and will be hoping for similar results on the excellent Farmers batting track.
A win for SOS would guarantee their Final’s Day spot, however a win for Walkovers and a SOS defeat against Farmers could see the teams swap places and SOS miss out.
