PAUL Hutchison celebrated his first taste of inter-insular cricket as his Jersey Men’s side secured a 2-1 series win on away soil last weekend.
“There are a lot of important lessons we can take away from this effort,” said the new interim director of cricket.
After a thumping 3-0 win in Denmark recently, skipper Chuggy Perchard and his side set out to retain their inter-insular crown over their biggest rivals and produced a dominant display.
The series, hosted in Guernsey, was played on Astroturf wickets due to both Islands’ preparation for their European tournaments this summer, which will be played entirely on that surface.
Game one went exactly according to plan for Hutchison’s men, who claimed a resounding seven-wicket victory thanks to Perchard’s three wickets and a brutal 85 from opening batter Nick Greenwood.
“Going into game one, we knew we needed to make an early statement and take an early lead in the series,” said Hutchison.
“I thought we were outstanding first with the ball, to restrict them to 156.
“We are a team that likes to chase and I think we did exactly what we needed to do. Greeny [Nick Greenwood] was brilliant up top and it was a clinical way to start off.”
Game two was a rinse and repeat for the Caesareans. Bowling first again, they went a step better, restricting the hosts to 134 all out, as Perchard again picked up three wickets as well as the impressive Dan Birrell.
In reply, the mercurial Jonty Jenner continued his outrageous form this season by smoking 80 not out off just 31 balls, excellently supported by 41 from Harrison Carlyon.
“That Jonty knock was special to watch,” continued the Jersey coach.
“When he gets going like that, he genuinely looks world-class.
“We wanted to make sure we sealed the series on that first day, so I was really pleased we were able to do that and in such a convincing way.
“That allowed us to make some changes for game three on Sunday.
“Going into tournament play in Germany in two weeks, we know we will face challenges where we may have to change things from our usual best eleven.
“Getting to see some new faces perform was extremely beneficial all round.”
Two of those faces joining the team for game three were left-arm Farmers spinner Toby Britton and OVs’ fast bowler Scott Simpson, making his inter-insular debut.
Despite a loss in the final match, both Britton and Simpson picked up two wickets apiece and impressed their new coach.
“I thought they both performed really well, despite the result,” Hutchison added.
“Toby [Britton] bowled with great control and was very economical, which was impressive to see in those conditions.
“Simo [Scott Simpson] was equally impressive and it was good to see him back up his four wickets against Denmark with another solid performance.
Speaking on his first taste of the historic Channel Island rivalry, Hutchison continued: “Of course I’ve been involved in local rivalries in my time, both playing and coaching, but seeing the looks on people’s faces in person during the games was special.
“Both Islands really do care about the results and the bragging rights are massively important.
“So to land a win in my first one as coach, it’s a good start and I’m chuffed with it.”
Next up for the men’s national side is their T20 tournament in Germany in two weeks’ time.
Hutchison and his men are set to travel to Germany a few days prior to the tournament to play in a pair of warm-up matches against the home country.
He said: “I think we have an excellent squad and getting to see everyone play competitively this series was a massive boost for us all.
“We can now look ahead to Germany will full confidence and ensure we perform as best we can.”
Jersey Men: Charles Perchard (c), Daniel Birrell, Dominic Blampied, Charlie Brennan, Toby Britton, Harrison Carlyon, Nick Greenwood, Jonty Jenner, Jack Kemp, Josh Lawrenson, Scott Simpson, Julius Sumerauer, Zak Tribe, Ben Ward
