Guernsey show ICC that they are competitive

'WE expected a hard game and certainly got it. They had us on the back foot for a lot of the match,' said Namibia manager Malcolm Jarvis after seeing his side triumph by 49 runs at Hastings. 'At 65 for five they had us in a lot of trouble,' said Jarvis, who had just taken his side through a thorough stretching session and debrief before he led his Namibian blues back out into the middle for more practice.

'We made a lot of mistakes today,' said Jarvis, while at no time belittling the efforts of a Guernsey side, who will have given their prospects of elevation to ICC Associate level - they will start one grade lower at affiliate - a massive boost.

Andy Biggins, the Guernsey captain, said it was 'nice to compete'.

Having seen his side briefly threaten to reach their substantial 50-over target of 279, but fall short as the Namibian pacemen came back to subdue and dismiss the tail, Biggins said he had mixed feelings.

'We bowled and fielded well for 35 overs, but those last 10 overs cost us; we've got to learn how to bowl properly at the death.

'But we now know what we've got to do.'

Biggins said it all might have been different had the English umpire Paul Fuller not stretched out his right arm and called no ball as Lee Savident induced an edge and Jeremy Frith held a catch at slip with Namibia already in deep trouble.

Had the delivery been legal Namibia, who won the toss and chose to bat, would have been 70 for six and there might have been no way back for Jarvis's men.

With one look at the straw-brown strip and parched outfield, it was easy to see why the Horntye Park groundsman was proclaiming 600 runs could be scored in the day.

Under a blazing sun, Guernsey might have suspected they would be chasing a lot of leather, but after little more than an hour's play, they had reduced Namibia to 65 for five.

The greens could hardly have asked for a better start.

In Andre van Rooyen's second over, the much-vaunted JB Burger, the man who took 70 off the full England attack at the last World Cup, got a leading edge and Tim Duke, standing square of the wicket near the umpire, did well to hold a steepler.

Van Rooyen bowled a good opening spell, while Ami Banerjee took a while to find the right length on a beautiful batting track.

Anything pitched up was asking to be hit, but once settled the Indian bowled a decent unbroken 10-over spell, picking up two key wickets in the process.

For the 11th over Savident replaced van Rooyen and after an expensive first in which he, too, struggled to hit the right length, he bowled impressively.

By the 19th over Namibia were in strife at 65 for five.

If there was a turning point it came in the 21st over when Savident forced an edge, Frith took the catch, and Gerrie Snyman was pardoned by the umpire's call of no-ball.

There was nothing in the track for the Guernsey spinners and the sixth-wicket pair slowly stole the initiative as the greens wilted in the heat.

Frith eventually got the breakthrough, but not before the Namibians were out of trouble and Snyman was hitting the bowling around the park.

With the help of a third Burger brother, Kola, Snyman made hay and Guernsey were relieved to see Frith hold a long-on boundary catch which, had he missed, would have drilled a hole through his midriff on its way to clearing the ropes. Snyman, who had struck six fours and three sixes in his 81-ball stay, was gone for 91.

Savident was brought back for two overs but Burger continued to have fun at the greens' expense and in Duke's last of five costly overs, Burger put him onto the top of the groundsman's hut.

Guernsey's reply was soon in tatters with Savident, Banerjee and Matt Oliver all back in the clubhouse with 34 runs on the board.

After much of the relative dross they have encountered in domestic cricket this summer, facing up to the tall van Zyl and left-arm quick Kola Burger, was not for the faint-hearted.

Savident had scored just a single when he was bowled by a pearler from Burger.

Banerjee, who stroked a few sumptuous drives and looked at home on the elevated stage, went for one which might have not been there to hit when on 17 and he spooned a simple catch.

Oliver also perished, slapping an uncontrolled cut straight into the hands of third man.

Enter Duke to partner Frith and with the latter playing as if he'd been on the international stage for years, Guernsey edged back into the game.

Snyman showed he is not just an accomplished batsman, by sending down some notably slippery stuff from a shortish run.

He has been timed at 87mph and neither Frith or Duke found it easy.

At halfway, 164 was still needed and the partnership had grown to 110 when Frith, on 78, launched Kotze into the deep and Scholtz held on just inside the boundary rope.

'He deserved a hundred,' said Guernsey's performance director Jack Birkenshaw afterwards.

Duke went soon after for a fine 37 and although the lower order enjoyed the odd lusty success, with the run-rate having climbed to 10-an-over off the last 10, it was too tall an order for Guernsey.