The Challengers will provide stiffest test

Island men’s team manager Rob Thomson has announced ‘a really exciting and varied fixture list' leading up to the ICC tournament in the first two weeks of July, with some top sides heading to local shores.

This should give the Sarnians excellent preparation for their Dutch adventure when they will face the hosts, Scotland, Jersey and Italy, with the top two progressing to the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup.

‘The most eye-catching fixtures in this part of the calendar come 10 days before we head off for the qualifiers,’ said Thomson, in revealing that ‘The Challengers’ will be coming for the first Cross Channel Challenge on 18-19 June.

According to their website, The Challengers is an initiative that nurtures talent across both the men’s and women’s game, competing under one unified umbrella against professional-level teams.

Nestled within the gap between the National Counties Association and first-class cricket, it moves beyond competing at semi-professional level and into competing at a higher standard against professional counties.

‘It’s a professional environment involving some of the most talented non-contract players in the UK, and in the last 12 months has acted as the springboard for three players to earn professional county contracts,’ Thomson said.

He said that the fixtures had come about through his relationship with Challengers captain Dan Lincoln, who led the British & Irish Knights T10 team which Thomson managed last year. Lincoln is also the England XI captain in the T10 European Cricket Championship, and has started to follow Guernsey cricket's progress.

‘This will undoubtedly be the stiffest test we will have on home soil in 2025 and the highest level of cricket we’ll have seen on island for many years – ideal preparation for playing the likes of Scotland and the Netherlands in July.’

The Island side’s 2025 programme begins at Easter when Hampshire Academy return for the third year in a row and their positive endorsement of the island has resulted in Surrey Academy joining them to make it a multi-format tri-series.

Essex Academy, also on the back of a recommendation from Hampshire, will visit the weekend after.

There was no room in the schedule to host the Ireland Academy, but Thomson hoped they would return in 2026.

The annual MCC tour from 26-28 May will have a T20 focus and it is understood that it will be a strong MCC side that will travel.

Jersey will then host the T20I Inter-Insular Series on 7-8 June, which has been deliberately scheduled ahead of the European Regional Final.

• REIGNING Evening League champions Independents are heading back to Malaga for the group stages of the European Cricket League 2025.

Indies have been drawn in Group G of the annual T10 competition and start their campaign on Friday against Roma CC from Italy before facing Malo from Portugal later in the day.

They come up against Beveren from Belgium and Gibraltar side Mediterranean Vikings on Saturday, with the play-offs on Sunday.