Guernsey get the better of former UK Twenty20 club champions in season finale
The 2008 outdoor season came to an end on Saturday with the annual Lord's Taverners County Festival at KGV. The Festival was played a week later than usual due to the extension of the English county season and this year featured Guernsey v Totton & Eling in the morning followed by Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire in the afternoon.
Totton & Eling, last year's UK national Twenty20 club champions, were invited to replace Jersey who were on World Cricket League duty in Tanzania and therefore unable to try to reverse last year's inaugural inter-insular Twenty20 defeat. The choice of opponent this year was very apt as one of the Eels' semi-professionals is Guernsey all-rounder, Lee Savident, who starred in last year's national finals, televised live on Sky TV. Their side against Guernsey featured most of their side from that memorable day including several former Hampshire professionals.
Totton & Eling batted first and were restricted to 136 for 7 by some fine Guernsey bowling. Opener Savident top-scored with 31 before he was caught at deep square leg by Jamie Nussbaumer off Gary Rich. Other significant contributions came from Robert Rawlings (28) and Derek Kenway (20). James Hibberd and Dan Goldstraw gave the score a big boost by smashing three sixes off the last over of the innings bowled by Nussbaumer, completely ruining his otherwise impressive bowling figures. Off-spinner Rich was the star bowler with 3 for 16 from his four overs, while Jeremy Frith (1 for 23 off 4 overs), Ben Taylor (1 for 25 off 4 overs) and Stuart Bisson (1 for 17 off 3 overs) all bowled very economically.
In reply, Guernsey very nearly got home without losing a wicket as openers Matt Oliver (45) and Frith (58 not out) put on 125 before Oliver was bowled by Manning. man-of-the-match Frith safely saw his side home in the company of GH Smit to win by 9 wickets with 8 balls to spare, and in the process claiming a big Twenty20 scalp.
In the big county game which followed, Nottinghamshire batted first and made 150 for 6 in their 20 overs. Top scorer was Matthew Wood with 57 off 44 balls while Rob Ferly made 28. Young seamer Andrew Miller (3 for 17 from 3 overs) had already dismissed England Under-19 all-rounder Luke Fletcher, Mark Wagh and Samit Patel in an impressive opening spell before Wood and Ferly came together. Piolet was the most economical bowler for Warwickshire, conceding just 14 runs in his 4 overs and snaring the wicket of Paul Franks.
With a target of 7.5 runs per over, Warwickshire opener Jonathan Trott carried his bat to make a fine unbeaten 75 from 66 balls, while Rikki Clarke made a run-a-ball 28 before skipper Ant Botha struck the winning boundary with 4 balls to spare. The win by Warwickshire secures them a return visit next year against Northamptonshire and a benefit function for Warwickeshire's 2009 beneficiary.