Oliver is the match-winner

A MATCH winning innings from Matt Oliver has saved Guernsey from relegation to the European third division. The left-handed opener kept his nerve as Guernsey seemed intent on self destructing with the bat as they have done in their previous two European Championship matches when chasing Israel's low total of 128 at RAF Lossiemouth.

The loud screams of Tornadoes taking off on the nearby runway served to stop play at times.

With this going on the Sarnians found themselves at 26 for three before going on to win by five wickets, with Oliver finishing on 71 not out.

In the field, the keeper also took five catches to earn himself the man of the match award.

'I felt big pressure, especially with the big three - as I would call Savident, Frith and Banerjee - all getting out,' said Oliver about his innings.

The match was played at the military base 30 miles west of Inverness, north Scotland due to security reasons surrounding the Israeli team. A handful of protestors demonstrated at the base's entrance during the game.

The result now ensures that Guernsey avoid the eighth spot play-off today which will see the loser go down to the bottom European league.

'The whole idea of entering this tournament was to help with the overall development of Guernsey cricket,' said island manager Dave Hearse afterwards.

'It was so important to stay in this league for that. We have to stay at the high level so hopefully when our youngsters reach the seniors they are playing at a higher level than Division Three.

'That was how important this game was today.'

Hearse says lessons have been learnt over the week.

'We've had an experience of an international cricket tournament and we've certainly learnt what we've got to improve on when we come back in two years' time,' he said.

'We will use that time to look at ways of improving the squad in terms of working with existing members and finding good young players.'

On a hard artificial wicket and in difficult conditions thanks to the persistent light drizzle, Pierre Moody and Ami Banerjee were Guernsey's heroes with the ball, as Moody performed brilliantly to take five wickets and Banerjee got a hat trick to reduce Israel to 128.

The all-rounder dismissed Isaac Massil and Sanjay Gupta with successive deliveries both caught behind by Oliver.

The magical hat-trick came about when he sent a pearler of an away swinger that Raymond Aston could only edge to Le Prevost at first slip.

Israel's total would have been more embarrassing for them had Yaniv Razpurker and Isaac Talker not put on 37 runs for the last wicket as the Sarnians made life difficult for themselves with a number of fielding errors and drop catches.

The innings eventually came to a close when Oliver did well to run out Talker from Banerjee's wayward throw.

In all it was a most purposeful display in the field by Guernsey in the competition but with the bat for the third match on the trot they found themselves three wickets down with 20-odd runs on the board.

Savident had gone for five, Banerjee went with four to his name and Frith, who is suffering a horrendous run of form, left for a single run.

After opener Oliver was dropped on one in the covers when he looked to drive off Gupta, he proceeded to graft and occasionally hit the big shots. He struck two glorious sixes off his legs.

Le Prevost chipped in with a 16-run cameo and, after Mark Jefferies departed for one, Oliver was joined in the middle by his captain Andy Biggins.

The two left-handers went onto to see their team home in the 28th over as the rain had started to come down. The umpires should have really halted the proceedings.

'I just thought our batting was not as good enough as it should have been,' said Israel's coach George Sheader.

'If we got another 60 runs it would have been a different game. Then we struggled in the field with the rain.'