Could Jersey qualify for the T20 World Cup?

“We’re three good hours of graft away from potentially qualifying for the World Cup,” muses Jersey captain Charles Perchard.

If results go their way, the Channel Island with a population of around 100,000 people could be facing the likes of India, England or Australia at the T20 World Cup next February.

With one game left in the European qualifying tournament in the Netherlands Jersey know that if they beat Scotland on Friday, they are in with a chance of mixing it with the world’s best.

“It would obviously be the pinnacle of Jersey cricket’s history if we were to qualify for a World Cup,” says Perchard, known by his nickname ‘Chuggy’.

“I debuted in 2010, so a long time ago now, and we were playing through the World Cricket Leagues, quite lower ranked.

“But we’ve got a great group of players that have propelled us up to where we are today and to even be talking about a World Cup looked miles off all those years ago,

Jersey only began playing international cricket in 2005 when those running the sport on the island felt they needed a better standard of competition.

Before then their biggest day each year was a match against neighbours Guernsey and the odd tour to England or a home game with a touring side.

One of the administrators who was key to helping Jersey first attain affiliate membership of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and then associate member status, was Ward Jenner.

His son Jonty has been a mainstay of the side since he was 14 – he spent time at Sussex’s academy and was even 12th man for England for their first Test against South Africa at Lord’s in 2017.

“I think the work that Dad, Keith Dennis and Chris Minty put in to try and get us into the ICC pathway was huge and probably a little bit of a risk at the time,” says Jenner, who now works as a cricket coach at a Sussex school as well as playing club cricket in the county.

Jersey has a football team in the eighth tier of the English league system, but the island’s football association were unable to become members of Uefa, while Jersey Reds won rugby union’s Championship in 2023, only to go bust a few months later.

So aside from athletes competing at the Commonwealth Games in sports such as bowls and shooting, cricket is providing the best international exposure.

“Kids in Jersey at the moment are almost spoiled for choice for sport,” says spinner Dominic Blampied, who plays cricket alongside his work as a sports development officer on the island.

Jersey are third in the five-team round robin group going into the final round of matches, having lost to the Netherlands, beaten Guernsey and had their game with Italy rained off.

Victory over Scotland would ensure qualification should pool leaders Italy go on to beat hosts the Netherlands later on Friday.

It would be an even greater shock as Jersey’s team are all part-time apart from Jersey-born professionals Asa Tribe, who plays county cricket for Glamorgan, and Wellington’s Nick Greenwood.

Scotland and the Netherlands are both mainly professional sides while the Italians have been bolstered by a policy of bringing in cricketers with Italian heritage such as former Australia Test player Joe Burns, Harry and Ben Mananti, who have played for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, and Durham’s Emilio Gay.

“When we get out there on the field it’s a one-ball game and it doesn’t matter if you’re a professional or not, it’s all about executing your skills as best as possible,” says Perchard.

“Obviously them being a professional outfit does help them, but we’ve got immense pride and camaraderie as a unit that a lot of these other teams don’t have, and that helps to bridge the gap massively.”

The islanders are playing in the final qualifying stages for a T20 World Cup for the fifth time, having reached the penultimate stage for the 2023 50-over World Cup two years ago.

Jersey beat Italy to earn international status 20 years ago, and Jenner has no problems with countries bringing in players if it improves the sport.

“Italy are trying to just spread the game,” he says.

“It would be pretty cool if Italy goes through and we go through to not have Scotland and Netherlands there, who were the top two teams.

“These guys that come in and play probably more towards the end of their careers, are still trying to play and spread the game.

Do not rule out a Jersey surprise against Scotland – they were three balls away from beating the Netherlands on Saturday and have come close against Zimbabwe, Ireland and the Scots in previous qualifying tournaments.

“We get after these teams and away from home we really punch above our weight,” says Blampied a day before the game.

“The toughest test was probably facing the Netherlands in their home conditions in front of the home crowd, and to be three or four balls away from winning the fixture was a tough one to take at the time, but we bounced back well.