On matchday four of the ICC U19 European Cricket World Cup qualifier in 2019, rivals Scotland and Ireland faced each other to decide who would hold their undefeated tournament record and take the lead. The Netherlands and Jersey each won against Denmark and France.
In the fields of the Voorburg Cricket Club, the stage was set for an exciting encounter between Scotland and Ireland. Scotland captain Angus Guy (18 runs) won the litter and chose the bat. In the first ten overs, he prevailed with Durness Mackay champion (47 runs).
Guy’s wicket brought the formidable Tomas Mackintosh (107 runs) to the top, which anchored the innings for his team, and tied him up with the Scottish middle tier for successive partnerships of 40-50 runs. Scotland finished off their innings at 246 for 6 after two fast wickets in the final. Nathan McGuire scored twice for Ireland in a decent bowling game, beating 2: 31 against 10 overs.
Ireland started its innings in a similar way to the Scots and reached an opening 50-bet in the first ten overs. The hit rate slowed slightly after the fall of the openers, as Alex Stiles (43 runs) and Will Smale (32 runs) fought with composure as they steered their side into a command position.
It was a piece of brilliance in the field of Rory Hanley that was the decisive breakthrough for Scotland when the slip-up of Will Smale in Ireland triggered a collapse of the middle class. Ireland went from 144 to 2 to 152 to 6 in four overs and felt the pressure of the number of runs that were still needed for the win.
With the momentum now in their favor, Scotland retained its advantage and scooped up the final Irish wicket with 199 points to seal victory with 47 runs and only one game away from a place in the ICC U19 World Cricket Championship in South Africa ,
In Amstelveen, France won the litter and decided to beat Jersey, hoping to improve their performances earlier in the week. Faced with an impressive bowling attack on Jersey, the French fighters were not deterred by the early loss of goals when Faizan Akhter (75 runs) anchored the innings for his team. With 116 balls for his 75 runs, Akhter gained self-confidence as he spotted the gaps in the field with some unconventional punches. Julius Sumerauer was the selection of pitchers for Jersey, claiming 4 wickets for 46 runs. Faizan Akhter was the last wicket to perish in the 50th with the result of 183.
Jersey got beating 20 minutes before the lunch break as the first innings ended just before 2pm. Captain Carlyon (107 runs) and his colleague Patrick Gouge (53 *) took advantage of the early overs to finish the pre-break pursuit. Play risk-free strikes and place the ball between the players to increase the total of their team.
France turned the bowlers to break the partnership as the jersey pair reached successive milestones. France finally got the wicket at 176 when Carlyon missed a shot and had to make 116 runs out of 103 balls. Jersey soon surpassed the French championship and secured the second tournament victory.
In Schiedam, the Netherlands wanted after a defeat against Ireland on the previous day against Denmark necessarily strong again. The Netherlands won the pitch and decided on bat. They started solidly with a 50-minute opening partnership in nine overs.
Left-hander Vikramjit Singh (85 runs) recorded another half-century for his team, playing his shots and scoring the goals in successive partnerships with Aryan Dutt (24 runs), Shirase Rasool (34 runs) and captain Boris Gorlee (29 runs). Midfielder Kevin van der Geest (27 runs) and Stijn Bakker (42 runs) saw the Netherlands score an impressive 263 to 5 in the last ten overs.
Denmark was very committed and determined in the chase. Despite the regular loss of wickets, several fighters started well. The spin was again effective for the Netherlands as off-spinners Pierre Jacod (2-31 / 10) and Arnav Jain (1-30 / 8) made sparse jumps.
It was captain Boris Gorlee, who shone for the Netherlands and completed 5 wickets for 34 runs with his off-spin to take the Danish chase to the momentum. Gorlee crashed into the bowling alley after an injury and forced the opening Jan Willem Damhuis to leave the field. Sami Zeb scored the first goal for Denmark with 47 runs, Denmark finished his innings with 71 runs that did not live up to the Netherlands, to 192 for 9.
In the final round on Thursday, Scotland will try to win five out of five wins against Denmark to secure the qualification. Ireland hopes to put pressure on the Scots with a victory against France, and the Netherlands and Jersey will compete to secure a third place.
