Matches got underway today in the Under World Cup Qualifier – Europe Division 1 in Jersey. It was a day for the bowlers as 36 wickets fell across the two matches and only one batter scored more than a half century.

Ireland v Jersey

Jersey showed a strong performance in the field in home conditions as they restricted Ireland to 200/9 off their 50 overs. Early wickets stifled the Irish as the top order got starts of 20-30 runs, but no one was able to convert to a bigger score. Late hitting lifted the Irish score to a defendable total, thanks to a valuable contribution of 33 runs from Player of the Match, Josh Little.

The Jersey chase was hampered by early wickets, as the locals found themselves in a precarious position at 10 for 3. The middle order batters stabilized, but struggled with the ever increasing required run rate. Wickets fell in pairs, with Josh Little the most successful bowler, taking 3/16 off 9.1 overs. Jersey was bowled out for 124.

Scotland v Denmark

Defending champions Scotland were looking to get their campaign off to a good start against the newly promoted Danish side. They put up a strong performance with the bat, as Player of the Match Finlay McCreath anchored the innings with 90* off 111 balls. Contributions from Callum Garden (42) and Rory Johnston (25) Got the total up to a solid 249 for 7 off 50 overs.

Early trouble for the Danes with the score at 18/3 meant an uphill struggle to chase the 250 runs required for a win. Shangeev Thanikaithasan (42), started the fightback with some positive strokes and the Danish batters were looking to finish as close to the Scottish target as possible. The Danish batters fought to the last and got the score up to a respectable 177 in 47.5 overs before being bowled out. Ihtisham Malik was the pick of the Scottish bowlers with 3/12 off 8 overs.