U19s hang on to their calculators for final round of matches

Rain took a hand in the European Under-19 Division 1 championship in Jersey on Saturday, with all three matches subject to prolonged delays and Duckworth/Lewis-adjusted targets.

But it was a tribute to the good sense of the umpires and the positive approach of the teams that all three games ended with results, avoiding any of them having to be replayed on Monday’s reserve day.

First to finish was the game at Victoria College, where Scotland beat Guernsey and the elements to record an emphatic ten-wicket win. Chasing a Duckworth/Lewis-adjusted target of 101 in 30 overs, Scotland made sure of the points, racing to victory in just 12 overs.

Once again it was the opening pairing of Ollie Hairs - who has the highest strike rate (132.79) of any batsman in this competition, ahead even of Alexei Kervezee of the Netherlands (111.27) - and Freddie Coleman - the third highest strike-rate batter (77.45) - who were among the runs, scoring quickly and heavily all round the wicket.

They both benefited from several lives each, as the Guernsey fielders spilled straight forward opportunities early on. That said however, they played some quite scintillating pulls, drives and cuts, hitting 11 fours and two sixes between them.

For once, Hairs had to contend with playing second fiddle to his opening partner. Coleman’s 56* came from 46 deliveries, and included 8 fours and one six, while Hairs 38* was from 26 balls – 3 fours and 1 six.

Earlier, Guernsey reached 94 for six in 30 overs, having been 33 for four at one point.

There were two batting performances of note, with wicket-keeper Tom Kimber top scoring with 34 from 50 balls. He struck 4 fours, being particularly strong on the pull shot. Skipper Jon Clark chipped in with 31, made from 55 deliveries with 5 fours, before he fell victim to a good catch by wicket-keeper Marc Petrie off the bowling of Calvin Burnett.

Matthew Parker (two for 5) again impressed in his fiery opening spell, while Willie Rowan’s figures (one for 24) could have been even better, suffering from some bad luck and missed chances.

There was a wicket apiece for Paddy Sadler, Keith Morton, and Calvin Burnett, before persistent rain curtailed the Guernsey innings at the 30 over mark.

• You can see the gallery of pictures from the above match here.

Now, on the final day of the competition, with only two teams qualifying to go to the U19 World Cup qualifier in Canada in September, it is quite simply a matter of which of the top three nations finishes up with the highest run rates.

Ireland seem assured of making the trip to Toronto, topping the net run-rate table with 2.69, but second-placed Scotland and the Netherlands are locked in a gritty battle for the second slot.

Powered by Kervezee, who has totted 454 runs from four matches in this tournament, including three centuries, the Netherlands inflicted a heavy nine-wicket defeat on Scotland in their second game. But, guided by the experienced tournament wiles of former Scotland senior captain Craig Wright, the Scots have battled back cleverly.

Winning the toss, they made both Denmark and Guernsey bat first, and kept the target totals down to manageable levels. Then they released their dogs of cricketing war, Hairs and Coleman, to blatter their way to 8- and 10-wicket victories in double-quick time, thus increasing their net run-rate to 1.36 and overtaking the Dutch, whose run-rate is 1.03.

So, with calculators at the ready, the final round of games now beckons (Sunday 19 July). The Netherlands can be expected to defeat Guernsey by a significant margin, but whether the Dutch can capitalise will depend largely on the toss. Scotland HAVE to defeat Ireland to have any chance of going to Canada; but they, too, will need to focus on run-rate, so if he wins the toss we can expect Calvin Burnett to ask Ireland to bat first and trust his bowlers to do the hard work.

But Ireland can't afford to be complacent: all three countries could finish with four wins and eight points from their five matches, and it is at least mathematically possible for Ireland's final net run-rate to drop below those of Scotland and the Netherlands.

Who said cricket was a simple game?