Ellis takes five wickets as Sarnians start with a win

Having set the hosts 255 to win or 47 overs to see out for a draw after a decent batting effort of their own, Guernsey had Bognor Regis 68 for 1 when Ellis came on to bowl.

Although his first over was wicket-less, Dave Hooper struck from the other end moments later and that provided the platform for Ellis to win the game.

Ending with figures of 5 for 20 from his 11 overs, he left the home side on the brink of defeat and when captain Jamie Nussbaumer cleaned up the last two wickets in successive balls, a 123-run victory was confirmed.

Being skittled for 131, Bognor Regis fell more than 10 overs short of digging out a draw in this declaration format and Nussbaumer's final blow – when he trapped Josh Broad leg before – came after 36.4 overs.

Despite such a comprehensive win, Nussbaumer was delighted with the challenge this UK league offered his team straight away, against a Bognor Regis side who had hammered St James's Montefiore a day earlier.

'It was a game that we had all been excited about building up to it because of the new challenges it brings and it lived up to all of those hopes,' he said.

'The big difference with this being red-ball cricket was that the ball continued to do something throughout the match, whereas it is easier to bat against the white ball when it gets softer.

'Then because of the rules in this league and the fact you can draw, as well as the bonus points on offer, it meant that we had to concentrate until the last wicket fell.

'In a normal limited overs match where the chasing side is going to get nowhere near your score you can end up going through the motions, whereas here, we couldn't let our focus drift because they were trying to bat for the draw.'

• More in Wednesday’s Guernsey Press.