The champions won the final game of their campaign in trademark fashion against fellow title contenders Irregulars on Tuesday – running riot with the bat to leave their opponents an unrealistic target before defending it with plenty to spare – to return to the top of the table by virtue of their far superior net run-rate.
Indies are, though, level on nine points with Cobo, who will overtake them once more if they avoid defeat to Griffins next week.
Irregulars and Wanderers-Rovers can both still reach nine points, too, but it would take something virtually beyond the realms of fantasy for them to usurp Indies on net run-rate now.
Things might have been different had Tom Nightingale not been given a lifeline early on in his innings not long after his skipper Nathan Le Tissier had been removed by Ryan Levy for a duck.
By Nightingale’s own admission, he hit the chance very hard at his Island teammate Martin-Dale Bradley, who was unable to cling on with the ball at an awkward height as well as travelling at a rate of knots, but the reigning Guernsey cricketer of the year is not the man you want to be giving second chances.
He made Irregulars pay in brutal style as the ball disappeared to all parts, with four sixes accompanied by 10 fours as he racked up 91 from just 48 balls.
In truth, a century was his for the taking, but after what had come before, his knock came to an end in rather tame fashion as he gifted a catch to, ironically, Bradley.
But that did not end the punishment for the Irregulars bowlers.
Matt Stokes had joined Nightingale in a second-wicket stand of 142 and he continued along his merry way to make 81 not out from 41 balls with 10 fours and a couple of sixes while Zak Damarell joined in with the onslaught, adding 35 in a 12-ball cameo that included five fours and two maximums.
They added an unbeaten 72 as Indies finished on a mammoth 218 from 18 overs.
In different circumstances, Irregulars’ reply of 167 for 6 would be a more than decent total from the allotted overs, but the game was almost over as a contest before they took guard and all-but-done by the end of the powerplay with Will Peatfield back in tandem with Kieran Le Gallez to keep things under control.
Charles Vorster deserves credit for some impressive ball-striking in his 63 from 41 balls while Charlie Simmonds also played some sweetly-timed shots in a brisk 29, but this was a night when Indies kept their title hopes alive and ended their opposition’s at the same time.
Wanderers-Rovers face Griffins tonight at the KGV.
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