This Is Guernsey

By Aaron Scoones

Jeremy Frith is one of Cobo’s main threats with the bat. (0470892)

COBO have one goal this season – to win the CI Club Championship. It was the one trophy to elude them last year.

In another fine season, the west-coast side won the Carey Olsen Championship, the Barclays Evening League and the Carey Olsen GCA Cup. But they did not get the ‘big one’ as Mavericks knocked them out in the semi-final.

‘To be honest, we had beaten Mavericks twice before that, but they obviously raised their game on the day and they were the better side,’ said Cobo captain Stuart Le Prevost. ‘We were disappointed. That’s the one everyone wants. This year we want to start well, win the afternoon league again, which would be great, and take our form into the CI and perform well in that.’

There are no doubts that Cobo are capable of being crowned the top team in the Channel Islands this year or of taking all the honours.

The west-coast side have been the premier outfit in the island for a number of years now.

They easily have the highest number of island players on their books of any team, with such luminaries as Le Prevost, who is also Guernsey captain, Matt Oliver and Jeremy Frith.

The trio form the basis of a batting line-up that is the most formidable in Guernsey.

Oliver is a destructive left-hand opening batsman who can get big runs in double-quick time, Frith can occupy the crease and is an accumulator as his scores creep up quickly on the opposition, while Le Prevost is equally at home in occupying the crease or taking apart bowling attacks.

Their other island players include opening bowler Blane Queripel and all-rounder Kris Moherndl, who both attended the ICC European Cricket Academy in Bombay earlier this year.

Le Prevost believes the pair, and especially Queripel, have improved because of the experience.

‘I’ve noticed a big change in Blane’s attitude,’ he said.

‘He’s come back from India a stronger person. Hopefully, these two can knuckle down and cement their places in the island team.’

Spin comes in the form of veteran island off-spinner Gary Rich and Frith with his nagging left orthodox, while their pace attack is completed by Pete Le Hegerat, who opened the bowling for Guernsey in last year’s inter-insular.

Le Hegerat, though, will miss the first couple of months of the season because he is at university.

That goes for his Cobo teammates, Jamie Nussbaumer, Jonny Warr and Ben Ferbrache. The last may not return at all as he looks to break into Cheltenham’s first team in the Gloucester-shire Leagues.

In all, losing four players creates a problem for Cobo.

‘Hopefully, we’ll be all right and we’ll go to the likes of James Mullen to fill in,’ said Le Prevost.

‘We’ve got some youngsters coming through and we’ve got a good nucleus of nine guys who always turn out.’

It is that core that sets Cobo apart from the other teams who all seem to struggle to be able to get their best 11 out on a regular basis.

Their success means that Cobo always attract players and as a result they have a big squad.

The one addition they have this year is their former keeper, Justin Ferbrache, who rejoins them for the weekends from Division Two outfit St Sampson’s.

Ferbrache has rekindled his love affair with the sport and is now back involved with the island set-up after a couple of years away.

He will share the gloves with Oliver.

But big squads means limited opportunities for players on the fringe.

Hence Cobo have lost Luke Nussbaumer, Liam Smyth and Robbie Moore to west-coast rivals Rovers.

‘I hold my hands up and applaud these three,’ said Le Prevost.

‘They’ve had games but not really had the opportunities to shine and I will never stop guys moving to clubs to better their opportunities.’

Despite losing those three players and another four for a big chunk of the season, Cobo must still be considered favourites for all competitions and Le Prevost knows that.

‘I suppose we go in as favourites, but if Rovers can get a full side out week in, week out, they’ll cause problems for teams,’ he said.

‘We’ve done well for the last four or five years, but we’ll go into each game as it comes.’