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Scots thwarted by Kervezee-driven Dutch

 

Ireland won the European U19 Championship, despite being well beaten by Scotland in the final round of matches in Jersey. More difficult for the Scots to stomach, though, was the narrow run-rate margin by which the Netherlands became the second of the two European teams to progress to the U19 World Cup qualifier, to be held in Canada in September.

 

The Dutch had a master batsman who dominated the entire tournament. Alexei Kervezee, a county player contracted to Worcestershire from the age of 17, scored three consecutive centuries in this five-game tournament, and amassed a total of nearly 500 runs. It was small wonder that the Netherlands prevailed on run rate. It was a bigger surprise that they weren't top of the tree when measured by this statistic.

 

The Scots were, of course, thrashed by the Dutch in their second game of the tournament, when Kervezee made 139* in the nine-wicket win. To that extent, Scotland had only themselves to blame. But they had made a bold and brave bid to recover over the next three games, defeating Denmark by eight wickets, Jersey by 10 wickets and Ireland by 62 runs.

 

To some observers' surprise, when Scotland won the toss in that final game, they decided to bat first. Presumably the number-crunching had revealed that this was the best way to improve run-rate against a team that was already top of the table. Yet the Scots dismissed Ireland for just 117, and there will be endless futile speculation as to what run-rate advantage might have been achieved if the Irish had been asked to bat first.

 

As it was, Scotland's most prolific run-getters, Freddie Coleman and Ollie Hairs (pictured), were each out for just eight, followed with the score on 39 by wicket-keeper Marc Petrie (12). It was left to Ewan Chalmers (32), reserve keeper Craig Wallace (52), skipper Calvin Burnett (12) and opening bowler Willie Rowan (29) to bulk out Scotland's innings to 179, all out with 25 balls remaining.

 

The Scots' bowling machine then set to work against Ireland's opening pair, which included senior internationalist Paul Stirling. Both openers fell with the score on 46, and this breakthrough gave Burnett the opening he badly needed. Wickets continued to fall, often in pairs, as Burnett (4-19) and Rowan (3-38) exploited the seaming conditions to good effect.

 

Victory over Ireland by 62 runs would normally be greeted with unrestrained rejoicing. On this occasion, though, with news of the Dutch demolition of Guernsey coming in, there was a strong feeling of thwarted ambition. And so it proved when the official number-crunching was complete: Scotland's net run-rate for the entire competition had risen from 1.19 to 1.25 following this final game; the Netherlands had improved from 1.03 to 1.45.

 

So Ireland and the Netherlands have reached the U19 World Cup qualifier in Canada in September. Scotland will look on with envy - and strong feelings of regret at what might have been.

 

European U19 Championships 2009 in Jersey

 
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