ICC Europe/CricketEurope

---

Guernsey got off the mark today, leaving the Danes trailing a distant second at Laurelvale. Racking up 249 for 8 in their 50 overs - the highest score in the tournament so far - Guernsey would win out by 115 runs under Duckworth-Lewis.

Anchoring their innings was Josh Kirk, whose patient half-century (125 balls, one boundary) laid a solid foundation upon which Guernsey's lower-middle order could build: Glenn le Tissier's 40 came from only 30 balls, while both Matthew Renouf (24 from 15 balls) and - for the second day in a row - Joseph Alvarez (28 from 18) made useful contributions in the closing overs.

For the Danes, Saad Hasnaat Ahmad got through his full quota conceding only 19 runs, but support was scarce: Anders Bulow and Saif Yaqoob would pick up a couple of wickets in the closing overs, but none save Ahmad went at any less than four-and-a-half an over, with more than 40 extras given away across the innings.

Under leaden skies, then, a good start was essential if the Danes were to threaten the Guernsey total, but as the clouds gathered wickets fell regularly, three of them to Glenn le Tissier in an excellent opening spell.

Only Ihyas Sawmy would pass 20, and though a rain break after 15 overs gave Denmark a sniff of a hope of escape, play resumed. Then, as the Kirk brothers raced through their overs, Guernsey would do enough to secure a memorable and emphatic victory.

(Special mention should also be made of the tremendous effort made by the Laurelvale club not only to get this match finished, but also to ensure that both teams and officials were met with the greatest hospitality.)

The game between Jersey and Scotland at Seapark Oval, however, had to be abandoned with just over 17 overs bowled in the second innings. Scotland won the toss and, having sent Jersey in to bat, removed both the opening batsmen with just 32 on the board. Ben Stevens and Cornelis Bodenstein then advanced the score steadily to 81 before Stevens was caught by wicketkeeper Matthew Cross for 17 from 62 balls. This brought Tim De La Haye to the wicket and he was to dominate the rest of the Jersey innings with an excellent unbeaten 75.

Having lost Bodenstein for a well-compiled 36 with the score on 104, he was joined by Corey Bisson and the pair turned around the Jersey innings with a rapid partnership of 73, due to aggressive hitting and excellent running between the wickets. When the Jersey innings closed on 213, De La Haye had faced 81 deliveries and struck four fours and a six.

When play resumed after lunch the skies had already begun to fill in ominously. Scotland's innings began badly when Cross was clean bowled by Charles Perchard. However, Anjan Luthra then joined Freddie Coleman and this pair gradually took control of the situation, although Jersey dropped two far from difficult chances.

But the clouds were thickening all the time and the management of both teams were constantly inspecting the Duckworth Lewis sheets. But it was all immaterial as the rain started to come doen heavily at the start of the eighteenth over and the umpires were forced to take the players off the field, never to return. The match will be replayed on Thursday.