Thursday, 5 October 2023, 19:37
Jersey and Italy have joined Spain in the semi-finals of the European Cricket Championship (ECC). The team from the Channel Islands won against Belgium in a Group B play-off to progress to the final round of the most important cricket event in Europe, which Malaga province is hosting for the third year in a row at Cártama Oval.
Jersey won by eight wickets on Saturday 30 September against a strong Belgian side who won four out of their six group matches. Josh Lawrenson scored 68 off 24 balls for Jersey, and on the bowling front, Charles Perchard contributed with three wickets.
Meanwhile, in Group C Italy beat Denmark to advance to the semi-finals. The Italians were too good in the playoff on Wednesday 4 October, beating the Danish by six wickets. Zain Naqvi top-scored for Italy with 52 runs off 21 balls, while Amir Sharif impressed among the bowlers, taking four wickets.
European Cricket CEO, Roger Feiner said the championships had been well-attended and the whole of Spain was getting behind the sport. “Everyone is jumping on the cricket bandwagon and it’s absolutely wonderful to see and great for this terrific sport here in Malaga and the rest of the country,” he said. The ECC was broadcast to about 35 million viewers worldwide daily last year, showcasing Cártama all over the globe.
The championships continued today (Thursday 5 October) with the first matches of Group D, contested by Finland, Austria, Turkey, Hungary and Ireland XI.
A total of 31 teams face-off at Cártama Oval in groups during the first three weeks of the competition, before the top-placed countries compete in championship week. The tournament started on 25 September and the final will be played on 20 October.