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Peter Della PennaCricket
Group B
Ghana played their second nailbiter in a row on Monday but this time came out victorious with a two-wicket win over Vanuatu. New-ball strikes were key once again for Ghana as Vincent Ateak removed day-one top-scorer Jonathan Dunn for 12 while Obed Agbomadzie took three wickets for the second day in a row including the key scalps of Patrick Matautaava and Nalin Nipiko to set Vanuatu back at 41 for 4 in the 14th over. Captain Andrew Mansale top-scored with a battling 26 before his side was bowled out for 124 in 47.2 overs.
The 16 unused deliveries proved vital as Ghana’s attempts to drive home a net-run-rate advantage nearly backfired spectacularly with victory in sight. Ghana were 116 for 3 when captain Peter Ananya was dismissed for 50 by Matautaava at the start of the 31st over. Subsequent attempts by the middle order to score quick runs to kill off the match were foiled by a pair of run-outs before Nipiko claimed wickets off back-to-back balls in the 34th over to put himself on a hat-trick with Ghana eight down with two runs still needed for victory. But 18-year-old Godfred Bakiweyem pinched a two off the hat-trick ball after entering at No. 10 to clinch a tense win.
Jersey moved a shade closer to a semi-final berth with a five-wicket win over Germany in Benoni. Medium pacers Charles Perchard and Ben Kynman and left-arm-spinning allrounder Ben Stevens took two wickets each in a collective bowling effort to restrict Germany to 248. Germany captain Rishi Pillai top-scored for his side with 46 before they were bowled out in the final over.
Stevens followed up his five-for from day one with his first fifty of the tournament, striking 53 off 65 balls while teaming with Peter Gough and Jonty Jenner for a pair of half-century partnerships. Sussex batsman Jenner then saw Jersey across the line, finishing with an unbeaten 68 off 65 balls including eight fours and a six as victory was sealed with 32 balls remaining.
Group A
Italy moved to 2-0 and clinched a spot in the semi-finals with a six-wicket win over Qatar. Captain Gayashan Munasinghe took 3 for 52 opening the bowling before Hasnat Ahmed ripped through the tail to claim 4 for 37 as Qatar were dismissed for 209 in 46.3 overs.
Openers Gian Meade (51 off 84 balls) and Rakibul Hasan (62 off 67 balls) got the chase off to an emphatic start with a 123-run stand. Damian Crowley fell four short of his second fifty in a row but by the time he was dismissed Italy needed just 23 to win. Peter Petricola took Italy over the line with an unbeaten 21 to secure victory with 49 balls to spare.
Guernsey bounced back from their opening-day loss to Italy with a six-wicket win over Cayman Islands. Opener Sacha de Alwis had taken Cayman to a strong position near the halfway point of the innings by top-scoring with 60 after they chose to bat first but things turned south when he was second out to fall with the score at 115. Medium pacer David Hooper put the brakes on the middle order by taking 5 for 36 as Cayman managed just 99 runs off the final 28 overs to finish on 214 for 9.
Josh Butler (93 off 87 balls) dominated a 97-run opening stand with Matthew Stokes in reply while Oliver Newey produced a half-century for the second day in a row, making a brisk 54 off 38 balls. Guernsey eventually reached the target with 13.3 overs to spare, putting themselves back in the hunt for the other semi-final spot from Group B while Cayman Islands have been eliminated from semi-final contention.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo