Ant joins brother Matt in the Guernsey ranks

Long-established all-rounder Matt has been joined by his younger brother Ant, a left-arm spinning all-rounder, in the squad of 14 who will also be Guernsey’s representatives in the best-of-three Inter-Insular T20 series before they head off to the Netherlands.

‘Ant has actually been close for a couple of years,’ said Guernsey coach Ash Wright.

‘As a young lad coming through, he did really well in the development squad and we played him in the games against Sussex Academy and he did really well with the ball – he took the new ball for us and did a good job.

‘He is a genuine all-rounder who has done well in the local leagues and, playing for Barbarians, he has had the chance to bat and bowl regularly.’

Form in domestic cricket is an aspect that Wright is pleased with across the squad.

‘It’s a very strong T20 squad but the biggest change has been we have made sure we have got the role clarity right this season and the players have taken that into their club cricket and their form has been good.

‘There are always some people who are unlucky to miss out, but as I have said before, I want people to knock the door down to get into the squad.

‘We have got lots of options – particularly spin options, which is handy for us because I believe there could be some turn in the Netherlands – but importantly, when you look at the list, we have got a very good fielding unit and that makes such a big difference in T20 cricket.’

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The 18 nations competing at the European Qualifier have been split into three pools with Guernsey drawn in Group C, which will be based in Rotterdam.

They begin their campaign against Gibraltar on 29 August, followed by matches with Israel, Sweden, Norway and Czech Republic.

At the end of the round-robin, the top two teams in the group will progress to a six-team European Division One tournament in 2019 from which the winners will qualify for the Global Qualifier.

However, before that the initial focus is on the Inter-Insular Series in which Guernsey face Jersey in three matches at the Farmers ground and Wright emphasised his side are not viewing that merely as a warm-up ahead of the European Qualifier.

‘That is a tournament in itself and it is massively important for us,’ Wright said.

‘Jersey have won the last couple of inter-insulars, but this is a different format and I think we have got a really good chance this year.’

Guernsey T20 squad for Inter-Insulars and ICC World T20 European Qualifier

Josh Butler (captain), David Hooper (vice-captain), Matt Stokes, Ant Stokes, Luke Le Tissier, Ben Ferbrache, Ollie Newey, Max Ellis, Jordon Martel, Will Peatfield, Zak Damarell, Ben Fitchet, Tom Nightingale, Lucas Barker.

Schedule

Inter-Insular T20 Series at Farmers in Jersey: Friday 17 & Saturday 18 August.

ICC World T20 European Qualifier Group C in the Netherlands: 29 August – Gibraltar v Guernsey; 30 August – Israel v Guernsey; 1 September – Guernsey v Sweden; 1 September – Norway v Guernsey; 2 September – Czech Republic v Guernsey.