Busy man: Jersey’s director of cricket, Chris Minty. (0624551)
‘CHANNEL Island cricketers just don’t realise how lucky they are,’ said the man who has overseen, in Jersey, the massive strides the game has made since joining the ICC.
And as a noted Jersey cricketer himself when most of the current side had not even been born, Chris Minty, has reason to feel a tad jealous.
‘I tell them not to take it for granted,’ said the sister isle’s director of cricket in a rain break during yesterday’s game against France.
But it is ICC’s funding of such events that make it all possible, as he recognises.
‘Seventeen of us staying in a hotel like St Pierre Park – and it costs nothing.
‘It’s a lifestyle you would never imagined 20 years ago.’
Minty is as Jersey as Jersey gets and loves to put one over the enemy over the water.
But he is wise enough to recognise that the two islands are very much in this relatively worldly exercise together.
We need each other is one of his messages.
‘We have been in it together since forming the Channel Islands Cricket Board.
‘We talk a lot and help each other. It is important we continue that.’
One of those tasks is to raise the bar of domestic cricket, which in itself will make it easier for the island’s top players to succeed at international level and play above the status of European Division Two.
But, he stressed, we need to be careful.
‘I think we need to create a buzz and competition for places.
‘What needs to happen in each island is to create more competitive domestic cricket. Each other [Jersey and Guernsey] has to carefully plan any expansion of the domestic programme.’
But, in the main, cricket in the islands has never been rosier and the next task is to keep the best players focused on the growing number of international tournaments, which comes on the top of the domestic programme.
The competitions are coming thick and fast.
‘I spent about 30 days away from the island in the last year and we’ve also hosted two tournaments in Jersey, which is the equivalent of 12 to 14 days.’
Naturally, some players are finding it all a bit too much.
‘It is an issue that we are addressing and if Guernsey continues to progress it is one they will have to address too.’
And how?
‘We’re addressing it by good communication with players and their employers.’
Finding ‘common ground’ is vital he says.
‘We’ve got some some players who can’t make themselves available for all the tournament cricket.
‘That means we both [Guernsey and Jersey] need a wider base of players to cope.’
Blooding young players is a benefit of widening that base and as far as Jersey is concerned he believes 20 to 24 is the number of players required to sustain an annual tournament schedule.
‘The progress we’ve made has been all very quick, but we’ve been running with it knowing it is going to get tricky.
‘The tournament in Tanzania in October was an unexpected commitment, but I think we can cope with it.’
Article posted on 20th August, 2008 - 3.30pm
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