JERSEY cricket will have its strength in depth well tested in next week’s ICC European Division II championship in Guernsey.

The Island side, under the guidance of former South Africa Test star Peter Kirsten and manager Chris Minty, will probably have to live with the tag of favourites for the competition – though the hosts will undoubtedly bristle (though quietly) at that suggestion, despite losing the inter-insular at Grainville last Saturday.

A meteoric rise in Jersey’s standing because of runners-up positions in Europe Division II in Scotland 2006 (losing in the final to the promoted Norway) and then last May when edged out by Afghanistan in the Grainville final of the World League Division V, does, to outsiders at least, give them an edge over next week’s opposition Croatia, France, Gibraltar, Germany and Guernsey.

But although, as highlighted earlier in the week, there will be four sets of brothers in action for Jersey from Monday, it is the absence of yet another pair of brothers, Steve and Tony Carlyon, that will increase Sarnian confidence that revenge could be theirs come the final match a week today.

• Picture: Jersey captain Mathew Hague. Picture by Chris Clark