The group stage of Division Six of the World Cricket League has come to an end today in Essex, with Guernsey finishing group A unbeaten after beating Suriname.
Guernsey batted first after losing the toss at Star Stile in Halstead. They weren't as dominant in their opening two matches though, the Suriname bowling attack asking tougher questions than those of the Fiji or Botswana attacks.
David Hooper, who scored just 2 against Fiji and wasn't required to bat against Botswana, top scored for the Channel Islanders with 55 before he was caught behind. Matthew Stokes and Ben Ferbrache also chipped in with 42 and 43 respectively, the latter losing his wicket from the last ball of the Guernsey innings.
Gavin Singh was the pick of the Suriname bowlers with 3-33 as Guernsey were bowled out for 239.
The eventual winning margin of 44 makes the match look closer than it was in reality. Muneshwar Patandin top scored with 100 from 95 balls, but no other batsman was able to make any sort of significant contribution. Arun Gokoel's 20 was the next highest score as Suriname were bowled out for 195.
David Hooper took 3-32 for Guernsey to complete a fine all round performance and was the obvious candidate for man of the match.
Guernsey will play Norway in their semi-final tomorrow. The sides have met six times in the past, with Guernsey winning all five of the completed matches. Suriname will come up against Vanuatu in their semi-final. Vanuatu won the only previous contest between the two sides.
The other match today saw Botswana bowl Fiji out for 211 and then chase down their target with 8 balls to spare to complete a two wicket win. Saudi Arabia's withdrawal due to visa issues means that the African side won't have a match tomorrow, but will play the winner of tomorrow's match between Fiji and the Cayman Islands. Those teams have met just once, Fiji being the winners back in 2005.