Selection worries of right kind

DAVE HEARSE has the headache all managers want. The island manager has said he is 'fairly close' to knowing the side that will play in the inter-insular.

He has announced a 12-man squad that departs on a two-match tour of Hampshire on Friday morning.

But he added that he was pleased to have selection dilemmas of the right kind - too many players deserving a place in the squad.

'It is fantastic that a lot of players are coming into form at the moment,' said Hearse.

'We will see how they approach these games against sides new to them, but I am almost there. We just need to get the balance right and I will have a chat about the final team with my assistants and the captain once we get back.

'It would be fair to say that we are looking more closely at the bowling than the batting. We are in a situation where if we want six batsmen, we have at least seven to choose from, but the bowling is not so clear.'

Mark Renouf is the notable absentee from the touring party. He has other commitments, which is unfortunate for Hearse who would have liked to have seen him in action following his excellent performance for the GICC in the two-day game.

But the Rovers swing bowler is by no means ruled out of the game with Jersey on Saturday 9 August.

'The door is not shut on those who are not on tour,' said Hearse.

The trip to Hampshire begins with a match against the United Services at Portsmouth on Friday afternoon. The second fixture is versus a Sparsholt Invitation XI on Sunday.

All of the 12 players, bar Mark Clapham who is available only on Friday, will play two games, with one turning out for Sparsholt (Jeremy Frith's home club) on Saturday.

'I am looking to see how they respond to being up against players they have never played against before and in a different environment from that which they are used to.

'Hopefully, they will be put into difficult and testing situations both as individuals and as a team. That goes for the skipper, too, in terms of his captaining ability rather than his batting.

'We want to win both games, of course, because it is important to have a winning mentality. But I want them to be good, hard games,' Hearse said.