Hi All
Not posted much in the last couple of years and lots of things going on in the background, but all good. Those who know me know what i have been up to, but for those on the forum a little update. The quick version is the wife got another promotion and we have been relocated to Jersey in the Channel Islands. Took months of planning, delays with COVID and alot of starting over as Jersey is another country, despite what people might think. For those who don't know, my wife is a Methodist Minister (now Chair/Head of the Methodist Church for the Channel Islands) and we have to move every 5 years or so. It sounds like a hassle but you get to meet some great people and play cricket at some great places. The work sorts itself out, generally I'm employable enough ;-)
How does cricket work in Jersey? Well the Island holds 107k people and is 9 by 5 miles, so it has its challenges. It has 4 main teams with 3/4 sides each and 2 other smaller clubs. They own or share 4 facilities on the island. There are 3 divisons, 1st Xi, 2nd XI and 3rd/4th Xi. On top of this is 3 divisions of evening teams. The season is broadly split into 2, t20 leagues and 40 leagues. We play t20 in a league format from April to mid June and then 40 over from July to Sept. One slightly different thing is 1s/3s play Sat and 2s Sunday due to the lack of pitches. The standard is in line with most leagues, with 1st XI being similar to the UK at the higher levels. What Jersey make up for in lack of numbers they gain with coaching and this ensures a steady flow of good players. All first team cricket is white ball cricket, so the guys are pretty use to playing short format ICC cricket. I play at Farmers CC, probably the best ground on the island and a lovely place to play cricket.
I'll park it there for now. Happy to answer any questions.