Duke welcomes back spin duo

IT WAS a season of two halves last year for Rovers, something they are not keen to repeat this summer. After winning both the championship and the evening league they then faded away in the GCA Cup and Channel Islands club championships.

'We're looking to push forward in the CI championship this summer,' said captain Tim Duke.

'We didn't do ourselves justice in that last year, which was disappointing after we did so well in both the leagues.

'It will be hard to follow this success and we need some big performances from our senior players if we're going to push for the top.'

Two of the senior players to whom Duke is looking for these big performances are Aaron Scoones and Richard Hamilton, who both missed nearly all of last season with injuries.

Hamilton will be required to make runs at the top of the order, possibly opening up with Richard Headington.

The latter was awarded the GCA's veteran player of the year and has been the backbone for Rovers' batting now for over 10 years. The opener was helped in the batting department by the arrival of Duke last season.

The former Essex second XI player joined the west-coast club from Pessimists before the start of the 2004 campaign and proceeded to have a prolific season with the bat, especially in the evening league. In the shorter version of the game he scored 630 runs at an average of 90 and at one point scored 484 without being dismissed.

His heroics helped Rovers win the title that had eluded them for 21 years.

Their batting has been strengthened by the arrival of 28-year-old Quinten Hubbard, who has joined the club after arriving in the island during the winter.

The shaggy-haired property developer has represented Hampshire at under-19 level and he is the husband of the island hockey development officer, Becky Hubbard.

'We've lost a couple of people but gained a good cricketer in Quinten,' said the captain.

'He looks a solid middle-order batsman and a very useful orthodox off-spinner.'

The two players Rovers have lost are Tim de Putron and Edward Benfield.

Batsman de Putron has gone to Optimists and Benfield has taken up a teaching post in the East Midlands.

Benfield will be particularly missed as he was a dynamo in the field and after Duke was the blues' best batsman in the evening league with an average of 34.90.

Nick Derbyshire will spearhead the bowling attack for as long as he is in the island. The former Essex fast bowler, who is quite an imposing character on the pitch, is due to leave soon but the date is dependent on when he sells his house.

'The batsman of Guernsey will breathe a sigh of relief that he is going,' said Duke.

'But as his captain I will be sad to see him go. I'm sure the whole of Rovers agree with these sentiments.'

Matthew Jeffery and Stuart Bisson will fill the void of Derbyshire's departure. Jeffery has reconstructed his action with the help of Mark Robinson, the Sussex coach.

He is now bowling more quickly than he has done in a few years.

Bisson is currently travelling in south-east Asia and is planning to be back in Guernsey mid-May. He enjoyed a good 2004 season with the ball and with the bat on the occasions he was elevated up the order.

It resulted in him being nominated the league's weekend cricketer of the year.

Island squad member Scoones will supply the spin option along with Hubbard and Hamilton. Jody Bisson takes up his regular place behind the stumps.

Matthew Seeds has left Taverners to join the blues and his athleticism in the field will be an added bonus.

A confident Duke is not concerned with the other teams.

'From what I've heard, the opposition is pretty much the same as it was last year,' he said.

'We dealt with them last year and we'll deal with them again.'