Image source, Ian Jacobs/ICC
Jonty Jenner hit unbeaten scores of 120 and 99 as Jersey champions Old Victorians ended with a win and a loss on the third day of the European Cricket League’s finals in Spain.
Jenner’s 99 not out was not enough for the islanders on Wednesday morning as they suffered a four-wicket loss to 2022 champions Pak I Care Badalona.
But his 32-ball knock against Irish side CIYMS helped earn a 49-run win.
It was Jersey’s third victory in four games so far this week.
They had a dramatic final-ball win over Italian side Jinnah Brescia on Tuesday, having beaten reigning champions Dreux from France on Monday, and they remain in the hunt for a top-four finish and place in Friday’s knockout rounds.
Jenner – who was once 12th man for England and is a stalwart of the Jersey international side – smashed 14 sixes and seven fours in his unbeaten knock against CIYMS.
The score was the third-highest in the history of the competition, as he and Julius Sumerauer (34 off 13 balls) put on 56 for the first wicket.
James Watling came in and got 35 not out from 16 balls as he ably supported former Sussex academy player Jenner as OVs ended on 198-1.
In reply the Irish side struggled to match the run-rate throughout their innings despite Chris Dougherty’s 68 off 24 balls, which included eight sixes.
Zac Wilson, Scott Simpson and Matthew Webb each got a wicket as CIYMS made 149-3 from their 10 overs.
Sumerauer impresses with bat and ball
Image source, Diana Oros/European Cricket
Jersey international Sumerauer – one of two wildcard players in the Old Victorians line-up, helped the islanders almost pull off a win against home side Pak I Care earlier on Wednesday.
He and Jenner put on 91 in 5.2 overs for the first wicket, before he was caught for 43 off 18 balls.
Jenner went on to smash 13 sixes in a 28-ball knock of 99, having had scores of four and zero in the first two matches in the finals, as OVs reached 164-2.
Having had Daniel Doyle Calle and Muhammad Yasin dismissed in successive balls by Sumerauer in the second over, the Spanish side’s captain Muhammad Babar smashed 71 off 18 balls to get them up to 81-3 off 4.1 overs.
Sikandar Ali came in to hit five sixes in a seven-ball 30 to keep Pak I Care above the run-rate, at 113-4 off 5.2 overs.
Sumerauer conceded just three runs off the penultimate over, for impressive figures of 2-8, before Sebastiaan Braat hit two sixes in the final three balls of the last over get 165-3 and seal the win.