Guernsey coaches learn a lot about side in Oslo
An impressive response to an opening defeat saw Guernsey finish as runners-up on their first trip to the Women’s Nordic Cup at the weekend.
However, with the other four nations all currently below the Sarnians in the ICC Women’s T20 Team Rankings, they face the prospect of dropping a couple of places before the end of the season.
The weather in Olso had a major part to play in that outcome, with rain forcing the postponement of Friday’s matches followed by a rescheduling of the fixtures for the rest of the tournament, meaning Guernsey faced highest-ranked opponents Denmark in their first outing.
‘It did give us a tougher run of fixtures because we would have started against Estonia if we had played to the original schedule,’ said Guernsey Women’s coach Ben Ferbrache.
‘If we had done that, I think it would have been a very different tournament, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse because we did not adjust the way we should have.
‘So it was a bit of a mixed weekend because I think it’s a tournament we should be winning.
‘Take nothing away from Denmark, but I feel we’re a better side.’
That match, which proved to be the title decider, went down to the wire with Denmark, who had already opened their account with a comfortable win over Finland, posting 107 for 8 from their 20 overs.
However, despite a good third-wicket stand between Rosie Davis and top-scorer Hannah Mechem, Guernsey faltered in their reply and lost by five runs, finishing on 102 for 9.
‘I felt we were on track in the run chase, but then we fell just short. I think we needed something like 30 off 30 balls, but then we had a couple of tight overs and we lost a couple of wickets at crucial times,’ Ferbrache said.
In response to that defeat, Guernsey went unbeaten through the rest of their campaign.
In their second match on Saturday they thumped Estonia by 66 runs, having made 138 for 6 batting first, and they returned the next morning to beat Finland by eight wickets, chasing down 121 with 25 balls to spare.
The best batting display was left till last, though, as Molly Robinson and Bex Hubbard shared in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 103 to see them to a seven-wicket win over Norway.
Robinson finished on 40 not out from 50 balls while Hubbard smashed 51 from just 33 balls with nine fours as the Greens chased down 142 with 16 balls remaining.
‘After we lost game one, it made it an easier decision for us to chop and change things a bit and learn about our squad,’ Ferbrache said.
‘We gave Molly Robinson a chance at the top of the order and she batted beautifully. She bowled well, too, and was MVP for the tournament.
‘Annie Le Ray was fantastic with the ball, Emily Merrien did well – it is good to see those younger players be influential for us.
‘But we also had Rosie show her calm head and Bex played that great knock, so it was nice to see the team come together with the younger ones and the more experienced playing their part.
‘It was definitely a valuable experience for everybody and we learnt a lot about our side and how we can play at times.’
