Indies take wild card option for European Cricket League return
Evening League kings Independents will play a couple of wild cards when they return to Malaga from 12-14 March for their second assault on the European Cricket League.
Tom Cheater and Archie Fairfox-Ross, who both featured as visiting ‘pros’ in the Guernsey Premier League last summer, will join the Indies ranks for the tournament as they look to progress through the group stage and reach Championship Week.
‘We have taken advantage of the wild-card option this year – you are allowed up to two players from outside the club – for two reasons really,’ said Indies all-rounder Will Peatfield.
‘Firstly, we looked a little light in terms of Island-quality players because Matt Stokes is unavailable and we have lost Ant Stokes from last year.
‘Secondly, from experience we realise we would lose out because teams were doing it last year and we wanted to go there and compete.
‘Tom is a very handy top-order batter and can bowl rockets while Archie is a left-arm spinner, bats well and is a good fielder too, but importantly we know they will fit in very well with the group.’
Indies have been drawn in Group F of this year’s T10 tournament, which is dubbed the Champions League of European cricket, with former winners Pak I Care Badalona from the host nation being top seeds.
Making up the group are Donaustadt from Austria, the Isle of Man’s champions Crosby, and Tallinn Stallions, who Indies faced on their first foray into the ECL last year.
The Guernsey champions beat their Estonian counterparts by 27 runs in the group stage on that occasion, thanks largely to a blistering 75 not out off just 28 balls from Tom Nightingale.
‘We played some good cricket there last year, but I think the standard was a lot higher than we were anticipating and the short boundaries, playing on a mat and the T10 format evens things out a lot,’ said Peatfield.
‘We found out that unorthodox cricket is as effective as orthodox cricket.’
Indies squad:
Nathan Le Tissier (c), Ollie Nightingale, CJ Peatfield, Kieran Le Gallez, Jake Roussel, Sean Donaldson, Zak Damarell, Tom Nightingale, Tom Cheater, Archie Fairfax-Ross, Ryan Harris, Dan Moore, Jack Brown, Will Peatfield.
