And the 25-year-old’s achievements in Benoni are all the more exceptional when you consider that he had suffered a major health scare just 12 months earlier.
Stevens has been one of Jersey’s top cricketers for many years but the left-hand bat suffered cardiac arrest while swimming at home in St Ouen in August 2016. While recovering, doctors advised him not to play sport and so he was unavailable for selection as Jersey contested – and were ultimately relegated from – World League Division 4 in Los Angeles last autumn.
However, following a difficult 12 months, Stevens, who at one stage feared he may never play competitive cricket again, returned to the red of Jersey in exceptional form.
Consistent throughout, he finished the tournament as the top wicket-taker, with 14, and eighth on the list of run scorers (204 runs). He was named man-of-the-match in three of Jersey’s five fixtures. His contribution was key as the Reds secured their third successive Division 5 triumph and, crucially, an immediate return to Division 4.
‘It was nice to get back into cricket after a lay-off and to be playing with the team again,’ he said. ‘Personally it’s nice to get runs and take some wickets but the overriding feeling for me was just how great it was to be playing cricket again.
‘There were a few nerves jangling about going back because it was frustrating to miss LA, but when you step over the line again it’s completely normal; nothing ever changes.’
