Certain meetings can only be described as fortuitous, and that was very much the case for Nick Greenwood. During a summer in England, he got chatting with someone who knew someone who knew someone – and the next thing he knew, he was making his international debut for Jersey a few weeks later.
Now 23, the New Zealander has proved a pivotal member of his team, even helping them defeat their old rivals Guernsey by scoring a half-century in his debut match.
A chance conversation
Nick Greenwood is a vital member of Jersey’s cricket team, but he may never have had the chance to play for them if it hadn’t been for a random encounter at a club game in Lancashire in 2019.
The batting ace was only in England to spend the summer, having traveled from Wellington, New Zealand mere weeks before. In a strange twist of fate, he mentioned he’d been born in Jersey – and the next thing he knew, phone calls had been made and he’d secured a place on the team.
Greenwood explained that another player at the club had happened to go to university with a member of the Jersey Lions. Greenwood confessed that he hadn’t even known the island had a team but had asked his acquaintance to get in touch with his contact as he thought it was something he might be interested in.
The rest, as they say, is history, and one week later, Greenwood was meeting up with Neil McRae, Jersey’s head coach, in Manchester. Not long after, he made his international debut, where he scored a half-century against Guernsey and helped his team to victory.
Heavy hitters
On the world stage, Jersey doesn’t take up much space. The island, which is closer to France than Britain, is small and self-governing, but it’s also surprisingly influential in the world of cricket, punching well above its weight.
Despite this, Jersey has enjoyed many victories, and remain a favorite among bettors. Cricket betting is growing in popularity the world over and as it grows, those betting seek better channels for information and advice. The cricket channel from the premium tipsters at Sports Betting Portfolio has a long history of profitability. A fairly low volume of trades but high ROI, means they know their stuff.
And Jersey is as sure as bets get. Despite having a population of just over 100,000, it’s an associate member of the ICC and has progressed to the next round of qualifiers for the 50-over World Cup, which will be held in 2023.
Greenwood, now 23, is an integral part of its international team. Having lived in New Zealand for most of his life, he’s now been welcomed back to his home country with open arms.
Not only is Greenwood a key player but also the only one of his teammates to have played first-class cricket. He’s also an optimist, revealing: “I can see us going to the World Cup.”
Whether his dreams will be realized is yet to be seen, but it’s certainly a serendipitous turn of events that saw the teenager from Wellington become an invaluable member of this incredible island team.
