JERSEY are only on ‘the start of our ICC journey’ when it comes to women’s cricket and the youthful squad have laid the foundations for future success, the head coach has said.
A narrow loss to France on Thursday all but ended Jersey’s hopes of securing a top-two finish in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Division 2 Qualifier but the Lionnesses nevertheless rounded out their tournament with a dominant performance against Sweden.
And head coach Lee Meloy said that he is ‘proud’ of how the squad – which had an average age of 18 – represented themselves and the Island.
‘Obviously, there is a little disappointment because we haven’t done what we set out to achieve, but they have shown glimpses of what a fantastic side they can be,’ Meloy said. ‘There is a lot for them to learn from this and this is just the start of our ICC journey.
‘When we have been good, we have been absolutely fantastic but we have just lacked that bit of consistency and that is perhaps where experience came in as a factor.
‘But it is scary to think how good this side can be in a few years’ time when they have a bit more experience. The hope is that we keep as much of the squad together as we can.’
The Lionesses finished the week-long tournament with three wins and two defeats from their five games. However, in their defeats to Germany and France, Jersey fought hard to take the games deep having looked like being on the end of heavy losses.
Meloy added: ‘I am so proud of their performances and the effort and hard work they have put in behind the scenes because that is the side of things that the crowds don’t see.
‘The home crowd has been excellent and there have certainly been more people coming down to the games than I have seen before.
‘A home tournament can have a really positive effect on the community and hopefully this inspires a lot of young girls, which can only help grow the game in the Island.’
Meloy added: ‘We have certainly started something this week. We have more games planned for later in the season and more ICC cricket around the corner for them.
‘We have a plan to work up the global rankings and there is a lot more to come.’
