GIVEN the palaver and the hype surrounding modern-day inter-island cricket matches, it takes some believing that once Jersey claimed they could not field a team. But it happened, I can assure you, and on another occasion, Guernsey arrived at the College Field to take on the might of fifties Caesarean cricket and the blighters never turned up.

‘Would you believe it?’ exclaimed the GEP cricket correspondent of the time. ‘Jersey had forgotten to pick a team.’

Now, did the International Cricket Council know that when they gave Jersey associate membership and the key to the bank of the ICC earlier in the summer?

Seriously, it’s fair to say, the game in both Guernsey and Jersey has come a long way since the annual series was inaugurated with a draw in 1957.

It was only a year earlier when Jersey had neglected to show, but we forgave them sufficiently to enter into a fixture which has flourished since the powers that be agreed to get rid of the draw 30 years ago.

Back in 1949, in the days when the nearest thing to an inter-insular gamer were the two annual GICC-JICC clashes, Sarnian cricket was deemed not to be up to scratch and those were the thoughts of the Guernsey Press correspondent, not some blind-eyed crapaud.

The man wrote: ‘Unfortunately from a local point of view cricket is far more popular in Jersey than in this island. Over here baseball is the favourite summer game and quite candidly, I think it will remain so for a long time.’

But, just one year later, an unofficial Guernsey-Jersey series got underway between the aristocrats from the sister isle and their supposed inferiors.

At Jersey’s instigation, one of the two JICC-GICC games per season was substituted by a Jersey v. GICC game.

After three early draws, Jersey were the first to draw blood in 1960.

Guernsey then won three times on the bounce with a team based upon the excellence of former Gloucestershire second-teamer Warren Barrett, young all-rounder Pierre Le Cocq and an accomplished trio of batsmen in Robin Roussel, Alan Bisson and P. V. Sarre.

For the mid and latter part of the sixties, Jersey either won or the game was drawn.

Seven games were to end in stalemate, many of them such non-affairs that John Le Poidevin, a star player of the time as well as Press cricket correspondent, was stirred to write, ‘It won’t take many yawns like this to end the series’.

Not that all the draws were dull.

In 1971, for example, Guernsey’s Mick Wherry strode out at number 11 needing to score three off the last ball for a one-wicket victory.

In 1965, Guernsey raced to 251 for three declared (Bisson 75, Le Cocq 85 and Roussel 51 not out) and only Brian Le Marquand’s superb undefeated 85 stood in the Sarnians’ way.

In 1967, Jersey were 134 for eight at stumps in reply to 174 and were again eight down five years later.

In 1973, the Caesareans were even more desperate but with nine wickets down hung on at the College Field on thanks to the skill and doggedness of Philip Le Cras (69 not out) and last-man Micky Weedon.

It would be another five years before the game became limited overs with 45 per side the original number.

Jersey, though, would not budge on restricting bowlers and even as the 1980s came to an end, Jersey all-rounder Colin Graham was sending down 22 in one game.

Down the years, fine cricketers have been made to look ordinary by the pressures of an event which has not only steadily risen in the public consciousness but also that of the players themselves.

I have known a few players obsessed with merely retaining their island spot, playing for himself as opposed to the team in the weeks leading up to selection.

Others just seem to take the occasion in their stride, their class and temperament seeing them through time and again.

Great players such as Barrett, the best spinner the fixture has ever seen, Le Cocq with bat and ball and strike bowler Miles Dobson, purveyor of booming inswingers at close on 80mph.

There were Jerseymen, too, who you would wish were born in the prettier island. Players such as Barry Middleton delivering fire and brimstone from 20 yards, all-round good egg Steve Carlyon and fellow all-rounder Colin Graham. Then, of course, there was ‘Wardie’.

In the 1990s Ward Jenner, a fine Jersey captain became a leader of the greens, to demonstrate that once and for all we do have a soft spot for the other lot whatever is said out there in the heat of battle and drunkenly blurted from the boundary’s edge.

Monday: Five of the greatest games.