The win, the third over league runners-up Romerils this season, throws Sporting into a final clash with St Ouen, who beat Caesareans at Grainville in the day’s other last-four clash.
It could so easily have been a Romerils v Caesareans clash; but both beaten sides failed to capitalise on match-winning situations.
Romerils would have been delighted with the start of their match on FB Fields No 1 pitch.
Only Island skipper Matt Hague was offering any resistance, with three partners going for just one run between them, so when his wicket for fell for 23 runs Sporting were truly rocking on 36 for 4.
But the rot stopped tellingly there, with former Island skipper Meeku Patidar contributing 35 and Bradley Vowden top scoring with 46.
Good job too, because only Trevor Rousseau and Mark Reynolds contributed two figure scores after the middle order departed.
A total of 160 was still well below what Sporting Club, or even Romeril’s, prior to the start, would have thought acceptable.
But you don’t win silverware with a faint heart and Sporting Club’s bowlers set about their task with relish.
Another former Island captain, Tony Carlyon removed opener Mark Saralis, caught off Hague for a duck in his second over, then captured another fine scalp when he disturbed Ryan Driver’s stumps in his fourth, with the bowler still to concede a run.
Inbetween Carlyon’s wickets, Justin Le Fort had removed Ian Crocker for a relatively expensive four runs and conceded a single to Driver.
When Nigel Crocker followed his brother back to the pavilion, having scored ten runs, Romerils were in a mess at 40 for five: but they, unlike Sporting Club were to have no middle order revival.
Their run chase started in ernest, but at least one batsman too late, with No 8 James Caunt (51 runs) and captain Peter Blackburn (39 runs) being undefeated, but eight runs short, by the close.
In the other semi-final at Grainville it was no less exciting with St Ouen having set Caesareans a target of 174 runs to reach the final.
St Ouen also needed a late stand to make the target a decent one, with Gary Kynman and Paul Horton, batting six and seven respectively, taking to the crease to score 64 and 41 respectively, Kynman sticking around until the end.
Siddique was the pick of the Caesarean bowlers, taking three for 28.
Caesareans put on a decent start with openers Danny Bertram and James Nollie, scoring 18 and 34 respectively, but when they and Mark Whitsey (25 runs) had departed their hopes dipped until Dave Gorman and A Coleman put on a stand of 63 for the eighth wicket.
Agonisingly, the pair’s efforts counted for naught as St Ouen restricted them to a 169 total, just five runs short of victory.
A Morgan finished with the best bowling figures for St Ouen, taking three for 21.
A good weekend for St Ouen with their second team remaining on course for the NatWest Weekend League Division I title following a 30-run victory over Springfield Reserves.
Late Division I result, Old Victorians 2nds beat Romerils 2nds by nine runs.
