This Is Guernsey

By Rob Batiste

The new side will play their games at Port Soif. (0432675)

OPTIMISTS and Rovers are joining forces in weekend championship cricket from next season.

Although two of the oldest clubs in the island and historically the most successful, both have been struggling over the last few years to field competitive sides.

And with local cricket undergoing one of its biggest upheavals next year with the introduction of an expanded Channel Islands League that will replace both Guernsey’s and Jersey’s domestic weekend leagues, the two have opted to club together.

The announcement was made following a meeting between Optimists’ senior players Andy Biggins and Mark Jefferies and Rovers’ committee at Rovers’ Port Soif clubhouse on Wednesday night.

‘To be honest, I don’t think this is something that either ourselves or Optimists really wanted, but we both admitted that we each need an influx of players if we are to field a meaningful side in the new CI competition, which we all very excited about, so a merger was the only option,’ said Rovers team manager Aaron Scoones.

‘But saying that, if we had to join forces with another club, it would be Optis. They’ve got some serious cricketers, but more importantly they are a good bunch of lads.

‘I’m really looking forward to next summer and turning Port Soif into a fortress.’

Scoones went on to say that the problem lies with the fact that there is a lack of cricketers between the ages of 17 and 37 playing in the top flight in the island.

But thanks to cricket’s award-winning junior coaching system, an influx of talented cricketers is expected to filter to the leagues over the next couple of seasons or so.

With this in mind, Optimists and Rovers, said that they would review the merger at the end of next season as the long-term plan, when the new cricketers come on board, is to revert to being separate clubs.

A name has yet to be decided but Rovers’ Port Soif facility will be their home ground.

The merger also leads the way for a Guernsey Academy side, which will reportedly be run by the island’s high-performance coach, Jeremy Frith, to come into the league.

Frith, who would probably move from Cobo to bolster the Academy XI, declined to comment on the matter when asked yesterday.

Both Rovers and Optimists will continue in the evening league under their own banner. They will also field a team in the weekend league’s second division.

‘It promises to be an excellent season and a chance for us to enjoy our cricket and perhaps, just as importantly, compete against the best teams in the Channel Islands,’ said Biggins.

‘It promises to make the league more competitive, which is only going to benefit Guernsey cricket and, hopefully, it will reignite the passion for the game that certain players have lost in recent years.’rbatiste@guernsey-press.com

Article posted on 21st November, 2008 - 2.30pm