Jersey Cricket Tour 2010 
24th to 28th May 2010

U14 - Played 3, Lost 3

Given the stark results, not a successful tour .... but success is not to be measured by results alone. The 3 matches gave a broad spectrum of cricketing experiences for the team and for each individual of the squad. Experiences which the players have taken on board and which will make them better cricketers and sportsmen in the future.

The bitterest pill to swallow must be the defeat to Victoria College in their opening fixture. Many aspects worked on during the pre-match training sessions fell into place as the whole team fielded and bowled out of their skins to send the Victoria College boys back to the pavilion for only 123 runs, thereby setting up a golden opportunity for Tommies to record their first ever tour win over Victoria College. Having survived the pace of Dominic Cain and the angle and swing of Dominic James' left arm over action, it fell to off-spinner Robbie Paterson to firstly remove the threatening Le Maistre (41) and then apply a strangle-hold on the scoring, sending down his 8 overs at the cost of only 19 runs. Qasim Javed (2-18), Andrew Gayler (1-21) and Jack Panton (1-9) all chipped with middle-order wickets, before Dominic James (5-28) returned to mop up the tail.

A great start with Andrew Gayler taking on the opening bowlers for a quick-fire 24 took the total to 33 for 1 off 6 overs and at 61 for 3 off 16 overs, the game was there to be won so long as the Tommies batsmen kept their heads, occupied the crease and accumulated the three runs an over needed to secure victory.

Dominic James set himself to do just this but, having mustered a careful 16 runs, was deceived by the subtle flight of opposing captain's leg-spin. His was perhaps the only wicket to fall to an excellent delivery and with the exception of Oliver Ganniclifft, who was run out to an excellent piece of fielding, the middle order batsmen were culpable instruments in their own dismissals.

It was left to the Tommies 'nine-ten-jack' to try and steer the side home as Victoria College, realising that they had been let back into the game, increased their pressure. The excitement and tension mounted, especially so for one Welsh dragon (right), who could hardly bear to watch as in their last wicket stand, Robbie Paterson (14) and Peter Humphries (10no) batted most sensibly and chipped and whittled away at the deficit margin. As if often the case, it is the bad ball that takes the wicket. Driving at long half-volley outside off stump, Robbie unfortunately picked out the cover fielder who took the firm catch to secure for Victoria College a most unexpected victory. One yard either side and the four runs would surely have swung the game the other way.

For all those watching, the game held them riveted, full of great cricket, excitement and tension, and proved a great endorsement for the traditional format of the game over its more ebullient yet brash T20 variant.

So onto FB Fields and the first of their matches against a Jersey Island XI.

The overnight rain which had persisted right through to just before the start of the game leaving the outfield very damp, did not have a major influence on the match itself, except that it denied the U14s their important morning practice session. Putting Tommies into bat, the strong Jersey Island bowling attack quickly had openers Panton and Gayler back in the pavilion and although the remaining batsmen put into practice well the lesson of crease occupancy, runs were hard to come by and the only batsman to make double figures and hold the innings together was Dominic James with 37 well-constructed runs.

Not nearly enough, it took the Jersey Island top order batsmen just over 24 overs to ease their way passed the STRS total, with again Paterson the only bowler to restrict runs in his 8 over spell.

Thursday dawned bright and warm for the final match at Le Quennevais, again against a Jersey Island XI. Unfortunately, batting fortunes slumped further, succumbing to the good leg-spin length of Jersey skipper D Blampied and self-inflicted kamikaze tendencies of 3 run-outs. Only the forceful batting of Andrew Gayler (34) and the cavalier striking of Jersey's opening quick bowler by Chris Mason (7no) brought any respectability to the innings. Although they used up all 37 overs available, the closing total of 97 for 9 would surely not be sufficient.

Taking heart from Jamie Dingle's U13 side's victory by 1 run defending a meagre 61 total a few years earlier, Qasim led his side onto the field after tea. The desired-for breakthrough did not materialise and the Jersey Island openers of D Blampied (45no) and R Doman (45) applied themselves well with some excellent running between the wickets to grind out victory with by 9 wickets with 10 overs to spare.

So - lots of positives from the tour, with many players maturing in their games. Dom James' emergence as a key wicket taker and steady mid-order batsman (the one true all-rounder in the side) is most pleasing. The sides' key issue of staying at the crease for more than 20 overs is well on the way to being addressed - better run accumulation whilst there still needs a lot more effort. Team spirit is very good, Qasim leads the side well and is a superb ambassador for Tommies cricket.

Victoria College - lost by 13 runs

Victoria College 123 all out (33.4 overs) - Dominic James 5 for 28, Qasim Javed 2 for 18
STRS 110 all out (32.3 overs) - Andrew Gayler 24, Dominic James 16, Robbie Paterson 14

Jersey Island XI - lost by 8 wkts

STRS 110 all out (36.5 overs) - Dominic James 37
Jersey Island XI 114 for 2 (24.3 overs)

Jersey Island U14 XI - lost by 9 wickets

STRS 97 for 9 (37 overs) - Andrew Gayler 34
Jersey Island XI 98 for 1 (26.5 overs)

Top wicket takers were ...

Dominic James	17.1-1-63-5
Qasim Javed	15-3-51-4

Top run scorers were ...

Dominic James	64
Andrew Gayler	56
Robbie Paterson	22

Catches ...

Jack Neave	5
Andrew Gayler	1
Joe Carolan	1
Jack Panton	1

U13 - Played 3, Won 1, Drew 1, Lost 1

Touring is all about experiencing new challenges and situations, away from the familiar 'home' surroundings and circumstances. How successful the tour becomes is not purely judged on the results alone. It is gauged on the wide variety of experiences faced and how well both the team and individuals responded to them.

Each of the three games provided our U13s with completely differing sets of conditions, challenges and opportunities. For the most part, they coped well on the day, responding well to the questions asked of them by opposition and conditions. One is left wondering however whether the valuable lessons learnt have not been short-lived in their collective memory!

In their first game against De La Salle, played on a belter of a Grainville pitch in warm and (for the most part) sunny conditions, victory was comfortable thanks in the main to a sensational piece of bowling by young William Byrd. With the De La Salle openers ticking along nicely, not really troubled by the Rich's bowling attack, the game suddenly swung completely Rich's way. Almost taken off after two innocuous overs, William Byrd's third over brought a clatter of wickets, including a hat trick. He and James Foylan (3-17) then cleaned up the tail in next to no time as De La Salle slumped from comfort at 72 for 1 to calamity at 76 all out. Will finished with 6-18.

It took only 16 overs for Rich's to overhaul the meagre total with just the loss of 3 wickets, Henry Day 31no and Will Byrd chipping in with 19.

Experiencing the 'spilt-overs' time format of the game is a feature of playing junior cricket on Jersey. Basically it is a time match (thereby allowing the draw scenario) with play being limited to a fixed number of overs in the match. The sides are to evenly split the overs between both innings, within a pre-agreed plus/minus range of overs. Eg for a 70-over split match the side batting first must close their innings after 37 overs but may declare sooner; the side batting second then gets the remaining overs from the 70 total. This goes some way towards encouraging tactical declarations and making captains think about how to manufacture a win (or conversely how to increase the chances of staging a draw).

Against the traditionally strong Victoria College side, captain Henry Day would have done well to heed better the advice tendered in such formats. Had he done so, his side would have been the first ever Rich's side to register victory against a Victoria College side on their home patch. As it was, the run chase, which he so ably led with 47 well-struck runs, fell just short of overhauling the total posted by the College, due to the deficit in overs left to him by his shrewder opposite number. Valiant batting by Benji Grew (29) and Brijesh Gattapur (21) could not make up for their captain's naivity and with still 4 wickets remaining the innings closed just 12 runs short of victory.

In the final match against a strong Jersey Island U13 XI, played on a fairly benign and slow Les Quennevais pitch, "touring tiredness" became a big factor. Three matches in three days, on top of the excitement of being away from home, can often influence the performances of the younger teams in particular. But it is all part of developing and improving their skills and levels of fitness.

And for this group of young boys, their final match became no exception to the rule. In a jaded performance they found themselves all out for only 108 with only James Foylan displaying any true grit and determination as he carried his bat through the innings for 48no. The Jersey Island boys had no real worries as they knocked off the total for the loss of just one wicket.

Overall a good tour - there were many lessons to be learnt and experiences to register and file away for future benefit. On the evidence seen during the five days away, and subsequently, one just worries a little that these lessons have not been so well learnt as they should have been. One waits to see ......

De La Salle - won by 7 wkts

De La Salle 76 all out (17.1 overs) - William Byrd 6 for 18 (including a Hat Trick), James Foylan 3 for 17
STRS 77 for 3 (16.5 overs) - Henry Day 31no, William Byrd 19

Victoria College - match drawn

Victoria College 149 for 5 (innings closed 32 overs) - Henry Day 2-30, James Foylan 1-11, Chris Tarling 1-15, Chris Bell 1-17
STRS 138 for 6 (innings closed 28 overs) - Henry Day 47, Benji Grew 29, Brijesh Gattapur 21

Jersey Island U13 XI - lost by 9 wkts

STRS 108 all out (36 overs) - James Foylan 48no
Jersey Island XI 109 for 1 (22.4 overs) - William Byrd 1-16

Top wicket takers were ...

William Byrd	11-1-51-7
James Foylan	10.1-2-37-4
Henry Day	16.4-1-63-3

Top run scorers were ...

Henry Day	79
James Foylan	60
William Byrd	34
Benji Grew	31
Brijesh Gattapur	27

Catches ...

James Foylan	1
Henry Day	1
Brijesh Gattapur	1
Rory Payne	1
Callum Dean	1
Benji Grew	1

Phil Brown - Junior Cricket Coach & Co-ordinator