JERSEY look to have lost their hard-earned place in World Cricket League Division IV, though it could hardly have been tighter.

Their 101-run loss to promoted Hong Kong at Anadil Burani yesterday – the same ground the campaign started on a week ago – weighed against host Tanzania’s two-run loss to bottom club Fiji, means Jersey are likely to slip into the bottom two places because of an inferior run rate and will play in Division V again next season.

ICC officials had not confirmed the result, but calculations at pitchside indicated that Jersey would miss out.
Waited Once again it was the batting that let them down. ‘The lad’s aren’t down, but we know we have not performed with the bat again. This has been the problem all week,’ said manager Chris Minty as he waited for confirmation of his team’s fate.

With three teams finishing on two points, the calculators were out as soon as both matches finished, but yesterday’s margin of defeat appears to have wiped out Jersey’s slender advantage over Tanzania.
Level on points with Tanzania, the only side that could take the drop instead of Jersey, and with a slightly better run rate, winning the toss was always going to be crucial – particularly the way sides batting first have dominated on these African wickets. But lady luck was against captain Matt Hague and he was asked to take his team onto the field.

• Picture: The squad before leaving Jersey for Tanzania