Sarnians beat Estonia to close in on final

Thanks to their emphatic victory over the previously unbeaten Estonia on Sunday afternoon, the hosts sit top of group two on six points with a very healthy net run-rate having completed their round-robin programme with three wins from four matches.

Both Finland and Estonia can draw level with Guernsey on points if they beat Bulgaria and Malta respectively today at Port Soif, but they would have to win by big margins to overtake the Sarnians on NRR.

‘We wanted to make the final, that was our goal, and hopefully we’re in a good position to do that – and then it’s a one-off game against whoever we’re up against,’ said Guernsey all-rounder Matt Stokes soon after he had hit the winning runs against Estonia in front of a crowd of hundreds at the KGV.

The bowlers had already done a terrific job in restricting the Estonians to just 99 from their 20 overs after Guernsey captain Ollie Nightingale had inserted the opposition with Harry Johnson claiming the player-of-the-match award for his three wickets. Fellow teenager Charlie Forshaw also took three while Luke Bichard claimed two.

The run chase went largely to plan, too, and it was only in the batters’ haste to get the job done with the winning post in sight that they lost a couple of needless wickets, but Guernsey were still comfortable five-wicket winners with 47 balls to spare.

‘It was a proper attitude and a proper performance. I think we showed that from the first couple of overs and bowled tightly, bowled to our plans and constantly taking wickets,’ said Stokes.

‘I think if we’re being really critical, I reckon we could probably bowled them out for about 75 – they gave us a little bit more than we would have liked to have chased.

‘But then with the bat we’ve just said it to ourselves the whole season, just go out and be positive and just try and win it as quickly as possible.’

He added that Saturday’s narrow four-run defeat to Finland in that weather-affected shortened contest at Port Soif had not affected the positivity of the squad, who saw that performance more as a one-off.

‘This is the brand of cricket that we want to play,’ said Stokes, referring to the display against Estonia. ‘And I think that we showed that to everyone here that this is the standard of cricket that we play.’

A lot of people saw that intent, too, with hundreds in attendance.

Guernsey hope that, if they are in tomorrow’s final, similar numbers will turn out again.

‘It’s awesome to have people down here that I haven’t actually seen down here before,’ Stokes said.

‘It gives us a lot of encouragement and when you hit one for four or when you take a catch or if you take a wicket you hear the crowd going and it gives you a bit of a boost.’

Spain currently top group one, having completed their matches, but if Denmark beat Cyprus at KGV this morning, they will progress to the final.

• Read the full Guernsey v Estonia report in Tuesday’s Press.