Indies’ top three set their side up for mammoth total

All of the title-chasers’ top three made half-centuries as their long batting line-up made the most of the lightning fast outfield at the KGV to post a mammoth 210 from their 20 overs in a week where 180 looks about a par score, such are the favourable conditions for willow over leather.

It was always going to be a tall order for Irregulars to chase down such a stiff target, but skipper Martin-Dale Bradley was not going to die wondering and he gave it a good go, finishing as top scorer in the match, but he and his side were to run out of steam as they ended up falling to a 38-run defeat.

At the start of the evening, Nathan Le Tissier and Zak Damarell were involved in a race to 50 as they put on an opening stand of 118 for Indies.

The left-hander struck the ball hard and clean with all bar one of his first 27 runs coming in boundaries, having faced just eight balls at that stage.

However, his skipper soon caught up with Damarell in the scoring stakes as Le Tissier played some crisp shots of his own to start piling on the runs and no bowler was spared in a game where turning your arm over seemed like a thankless task for long periods.

It was the Indies captain who was first to raise his bat for a personal milestone with Damarell not far behind, although it was the latter who ended as his side’s top scorer with 60 including eight fours and a six. He faced just 32 deliveries before he failed to clear extra-cover and was well caught by Harry Guilbert off Ben Wentzel.

Le Tissier soon followed as he top-edged an attempted sweep off Casper Le Ray out to deep mid-wicket where Bradley pouched the catch. The Indies skipper had hit 10 fours in his 36-ball innings of 56.

Matt Stokes kept the scoring going, though, initially with Tom Nightingale, before he hit one flat and hard to Matt Southwell at long-off, and then with his brother Ant.

The elder sibling was to finish 55 not out, having been given a life in the 40s, with two sixes and four fours in his tally.

Guernsey bowlers Ant Stokes and Will Peatfield went for less than a run-a-ball in the first three overs of the powerplay at the start of the Irregulars reply, but Bradley soon found his timing and the boundaries started to flow from his end if never really from any of his partners.

Stuart Le Prevost made 18 of their opening stand of 94 before he was trapped in front by Jake Roussel then Charles Vorster came and went quickly.

When Bradley, who had faced 55 balls and hit 10 fours as well as two sixes, was third to depart caught behind as he attempted a ramp shot off Roussel, he had made 88 out of his side’s 136 up to that point.

Wentzel chipped in with 35, but by then Indies were turning the screw and after Peatfield had taken a fine catch sliding in at long-on to give Roussel a third wicket, Matt Stokes added one of his own while there were a couple of run outs as Indies made it four wins from four plus the point from their abandoned game with Griffins.