World Cup Challenge League: Uganda beat Jersey in opening game by 25 runs

Ben Stevens' top score of 43 was not enough for Jersey

Jersey began their 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifying campaign with a 25-run loss to Uganda in Oman.

Batting first, the African side recovered from 36-3 to reach 248-8 off their 50 overs as Dinesh Nakrani top-scored with 79 not out and put on 91 with Riazat Ali Shah.

Jersey bowler Julius Sumerauer took the first three wickets to fall and ended with figures of 3-51.

In reply, Jersey could only manage 223 all out despite Ben Stevens making 43.

Nick Greenwood hit 40 as he shared stands of 55 for the third wicket with Stevens and 60 with Jonty Jenner for the fourth.

But when Jenner fell for 30, two balls after Greenwood was dismissed, Jersey were left on 161-5 and their lower order could not keep up with the run rate as Dominic Blampied and Sumerauer were both run out.

New-look World Cup qualifying

The game was Jersey's opening fixture in the new Cricket World Cup Challenge League, which replaces the old World Cricket League format.

Two pools of six teams - Leagues A and B - will play in annual tournaments until 2021 with the top sides in each league progressing to the 2022 Cricket World Cup Play-Off tournament.

Jersey are in League B alongside Uganda, Hong Kong, Kenya, Bermuda and Italy - and the islanders will face Hong Kong in their next game on 5 December.

They narrowly missed out on the chance to play for a place in the Twenty20 World Cup Qualifying tournament in Abu Dhabi in October.

They finished sixth in their pool, one win away from making the play-offs.