The Under 19 teams from Denmark, Ireland and Scotland touched down in Jersey today, where they join the host nation in preparation for the Europe Division 1 Qualifier. The sides will compete in a double round-robin format, with the winning team earning a place at the 2018 Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand next February.

All four teams are looking forward to an exciting competition which presents a true test of skill, fitness and mental strength as the six rounds of 50-over matches are scheduled to take place over a period of eight days.

Jersey manager Lee Meloy is hoping that good preparation and home conditions will help to provide the catalyst for Jersey U19’s to have a successful competition:

“We have had a successful preparation for the tournament with 2 good wins over Hampshire and another over one of our Premier League sides. The squad are looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd in familiar conditions and can’t wait to get going in the first game against Ireland on Monday.”

Scotland will take confidence from their achievements over the past few years, and will be hoping for a repeat of the 2015 ICC U19 Europe Qualifier, also held in Jersey, where they came away victorious.

Ireland will be boosted by their recent elevation to ICC Full Membership, which will provide unprecedented opportunities for their young stars in the future. Ireland finished runners-up in the previous edition of this event, and will be hoping to go one better this time around.

Denmark will be looking to keep up the momentum following their promotion from Division 2, where they remained unbeaten and impressed with both bat and ball.