Scourge of Guernsey's batting still going strong

MANY summers have passed since Barry Middleton last tore into the Guernsey batting, peppering Sarnian rib cages and offering batsmen little to hit. But the former Jersey spearhead is still going strong, regularly turning out for the Channel Islands over-50s and St Ouen.

It was with St Ouen that he played at the King George V Field last weekend and, while much younger men were struggling to contain the Cobo batsmen, Middleton came to the rescue with a spell that shows he still has much to offer the game although closer to 60 than 50.

While we reminisced about cricketers and inter-insulars past, I pressed him into naming his all-time Jersey XI with the proviso he must name himself.

Simply, no Jersey team would look right without the man who was the scourge of Guernsey batsmen for years.

This is the side he came up with and his reasons why:

1, Steve Carlyon

2, Matt Hague

3, John Holmes

4, Derek Breed

5, Ward Jenner

6, Paul Robson

7, Mike Weaver (captain)

8, Steve Burrows

9, Richard Allot

10, Simon Short (w/keeper)

11, Barry Middleton

'As Jersey have never had a quality spin bowler, none is included, concentrating as usual on pace and movement.

The team selected includes eight possible bowlers, that is if I include Ward, who tries to do an impression of one on occasions...

The main attack features pace through myself and Allot with Robson a decent foil bowling up hill and into the wind.

Breed and Burrows would then provide more traditional medium pace seam and swing with Hague and Carlyon able to be called on if needed.

Strange possibly to see two wicketkeepers in my select XI in the form of John Holmes and Simon Short. But in this team Simon gets the nod behind the sticks being by far the best wicketkeeper I have seen in either island with Holmes selected as a batsman and a big match player who hardly ever failed in an inter-insular.

In the XI selected there are a number of potential skippers: Hague, Jenner, Robson and Weaver.

I played under all except Hague and the most tactically sound in Jersey was Weaver.

He was also a very capable middle order bat.

It would be an interesting contest on the captaincy front between him and Ricky Mills, whom I rate as probably the best ever skipper from either island.

Carlyon and Hague are the most prolific openers I have seen for some time, complementing each other perfectly and having the advantage of being a left/right partnership.

At number three is Holmes as Mr Dependable followed by Breed who was one of Jersey's most technically correct batsmen.

Jenner, Robson and Weaver would provide some solidity in the middle order, each having that all important ?big match? temperament.

Burrows and Allot are both very capable batsmen in their own right with the ability to provide some quick runs from the late order.

The side bats down to 10 with Short on his day also being very useful with the willow. I would have to confess to being a more traditional number 11 but still remember with great affection scoring two to win off the last ball when facing Dobson at Elizabeth College Field in Guernsey.