This Is Guernsey

By Aaron Scoones

Stuart Bisson bowls from the clubhouse end against Nepal. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0582822)

GUERNSEY knew Nepal had a strong bowling attack and it was proven yesterday at Port Soif where they lost to the Asians by 73 runs.

The Himalayan country had bowled out the Bahamas for just 70 on Monday and with the island side chasing a less than impressive total of 209, they dismissed the Sarnians for 136. ‘It was a good bowling attack,’ said Guernsey captain Stuart Le Prevost.

‘They played our spinners well because they face good spin all the time. All we can do is play against these type of guys and get better.’

Nepal and the Bahamas were on the island to play warm-up games ahead of the ICC World Cricket League Division Five that starts in Jersey tomorrow.

On Tuesday, Guernsey had taken care of the Bahamas by 158 runs but Le Prevost believes the Nepal match was more beneficial.

‘It was nice to beat the Bahamas, but we’ll take more out of today’s game playing against better opposition,’ he said.

Even though his side had tasted defeat at the hands of the Nepalese, island manager Dave Hearse feels that his side are improving.

‘We can compete at that level but we have to keep competing at that level to be able to win some of these games,’ he said.

‘Perhaps on a different day, some of the calls would have gone our way. We had some bad luck, but that’s part of the game.’

The Greens were certainly not on the end of any bad luck early on in the day.

After Nepal won the toss and decided to bat on a new strip, the visitors found themselves 65 for five in the 19th over.

Guernsey’s new-ball partners, Tim Duke and Blane Queripel, claimed an opener each.

Queripel also dismissed Nepal’s number four, Shakti Gauchan, for one, caught at slip by Jeremy Frith. Gauchan had hit 50 in Monday’s match.

Rovers’ Stuart Bisson replaced Queripel at the clubhouse end and picked up a wicket in his first over with a rank long hop that Gyanandra Malla edged behind to Matt Oliver.

His second wicket was more pleasing for the purist as Paras Khadka edged a full-pitch delivery to Frith at slip.

That brought Mahaboob Alam to the wicket to join number three Sarad Veswarka and together the pair dragged their team out of the mire.

Guernsey were a bowler down with veteran off-spinner Gary Rich going off early in the piece with a side strain. But young Tim Ravenscroft, Frith and GH Smit performed well with their spin in his absence.

However, Alam and Veswarka put on a stand of 103 before Smit bowled Alam for 45 with the score 168 for six in the 42nd over.

Veswarka went shortly afterwards for 72, lbw to Frith.

The visitors got themselves over 200 with a nice little eighth-wicket stand between captain Binod Das and Basant Reemi.

‘I thought at one point they could have got to 250,’ said Le Prevost.

‘We would have taken 209 at the start.’

The scorer from Monday’s match had written in the comments section of the scorecard: ‘Alam is quick and swinging it miles.’

How true he was, as the left armer proceeded to deliver massive in-duckers to the right-handed Guernsey batsmen.

Optimists opener Mark Jefferies survived a huge appeal first ball for lbw, but was not so lucky second ball as Alam rapped his pads again and umpire Sean Whelan showed him the finger.

Oliver and Smit, usually two aggressive batsmen, were content to pick their shots against Alam and right-arm quickie Das.

Left-hander Oliver did not seem to have as many problems as the right-handers against Alam and was starting to look like he was going to take the attack to his opponents. However this was short-lived as he chipped one to mid-off for nine.

Smit went for eight soon afterwards as he was judged to have touched behind first-change seamer Khadka.

The South African did not seem best pleased with umpire Martin Gray’s decision.

Khadka also accounted for Ravenscroft and the Greens looked in trouble at 35 for four.

Frith, who has been in cracking form of late, proceeded to build a platform with his captain and Cobo teammate Le Prevost as the Nepal spinners came into action.

They put on 38 before Frith, who was using Ravenscroft as a runner after pulling a leg muscle, was given run out. It was a tight call.

Duke joined Le Prevost and carried on where Frith had left off.

The Greens needed the pair to deliver if they were going to taste success, but the skipper fell for 41 and the innings fell away.

Article posted on 22nd May, 2008 - 2.29pm