European Cricket League: Jersey champions Farmers beat French side Dreux by 12 runs

Farmers are the first Channel Islands side to ever make the final stages of the tournament

Jersey champions Farmers kept their European Cricket League hopes alive with a 12-run win over French side Dreux in Spain.

Patrick Gouge hit an impressive 20-ball 58 not out, including five sixes, while Joel Dudley scored 39 off 14 balls as Farmers made 160-3 off their 10 overs.

In reply, Jack De Gruchy took three wickets in four balls as Dreux were restricted to 148-7.

It was their second win in four matches as they aim for the knockout stages.

On Tuesday they were heavily beaten by defending champions Pak I Care Badalona, having got a win over Belgian side Beveren and then lost to Spanish side Sporting Alfas in their opening games on Monday.

The T10 tournament features the domestic champions of European nations.

Having lost the toss and being put in, Danish wild card batter Nicolaj Damgaard and Dudley put on 63 in 3.4 overs for Farmers' first wicket before Dudley was caught having hit three sixes and five fours.

Damgaard went for 20 four balls later as fellow Dane Oliver Hald and Gouge put on a third-wicket partnership of 82 before Hald was caught for 26 with five balls to go having hit three sixes.

In reply, Damgaard and Hald took the wickets of Dreux openers Hamza Niaz and Ahmed Nabi to leave them on 30-2 after 2.5 overs.

Captain Mohammad Nisar and Muhammad Rafah put on 54 for the third wicket before Rafah was caught off Damgaard for 34 from 10 balls to leave Dreux on 84-3.

But it was De Gruchy's incredible spell in the eighth over that won Farmers the game, starting with having Nisar caught by Damgaard for 29 off his first ball.

He was hit for six by new batter Kamran Ahmadzai off his next ball before bowling him with his subsequent delivery and taking the wicket of Ammar Zahir with the very next ball to end with figures of 3-8 from his only over.

Abdurrahman Ahmadzai hit 15 not out off six balls but it was not enough as Dreux fell 12 runs short.

Farmers will face unbeaten Irish champions CIYMS and English side Hornchurch on Thursday in their final matches, knowing they must stay in at least fourth place to make the knockout stages.