THE Guernsey mixed slow-pitch team recently returned from the UBS Jersey Open Tournament with some silverware. The Sarnians, under new coach Jason Smith, came away with the B team competition title after they defeated Breakers 14-9 in a tense final.
Smith had brought in some young players such as Ben Youlton, Kyle Nelson and Jon Rihoy junior and he was delighted with the result.
‘I’m chuffed that it worked out as it did,’ he said.
‘My hat goes off to the younger players and the more established ones for getting on as they did. In the past years the Guernsey team has been made up of the same old, same old.
‘It was time for change and to give the youth the opportunity and they did well.’
In the round-robin stage, the island side, taking part in the red group, got off to a flyer as they smashed Thames Valley Royals 14-1.
It went downhill for Smith’s team after that as BTT soundly beat them in their next game 21-8 and then London side Lab Rats did the same with the score 9-0.
Next up against South Park Cows, they came close to getting the better of an outfit that was mainly made up of the Irish national side but could not quite claim the victory.
The greens then came up against Jersey Two and started strongly to notch up six runs to no reply.
But by the fifth innings the home side had rallied back to level things. In response Guernsey got their act together to put on another six runs with no answer to win 12-6.
The Stingers offered the last test in the group stage for Guernsey and they proved to be too strong as they won 15-8. That meant that the Sarnians finished fifth in the group to just miss out on qualifying for the A team competition.
In the B team competition, the greens came up against Breakers and with some good hitting that resulted in 16 runs and some good fielding that saw only four runs conceded, they went on to face Jersey One.
After a tight affair, Smith and his team took an 11-9 win to ensure that they had beaten a side that has dominated them in recent years.
‘Obviously we’ve had quite a bad time of it, losing the ﾓMurattiﾔ for the last two or three years,’ said Smith.
‘We’ve been trying hard to beat Jersey so basically to take a team across and beat both Jersey One and Jersey Two, when we’ve not done that well in the past, was fantastic.’
After next getting past Bristol Creamers in the semi-final, Guernsey came up against Breakers again in the final.
Breakers started the stronger as they hit three runs and stopped Guernsey scoring in the first three innings.
But this acted to spur the Sarnians on as they scored an impressive eight runs in the fourth including a cracking hit down right field from Youlton.
Breakers had a mini fight-back to make it 8-6 but another big push in the seventh innings by Guernsey saw them reach 14 runs as Rihoy, Liz Kerr, Glen Cortez, captain Sally Le Noury and Bobby Odoah all scored.
Their opponents hit another three runs but it was not enough as Guernsey lifted the trophy.
In the men’s fast-pitch league, NRG Rangers bounced back from their defeat at the hands of champions La Grande Mare Giants with a comprehensive win over Plough Inn Titans.
The red-and-blacks had suffered an 8-1 loss to their great rivals in their second game of their season after they had got the better of Slattery Decor Sluggers in their opening match with the score 11-9 in their favour.
However, on the Beau Sejour diamond recently they got back to their winning ways as they comfortably beat Titans 18-2.
Giants also defeated Sluggers to underline their title-favourites status.
‘It wasn’t the strongest Titans team we’ve played but it was still nice to win,’ said Rangers player-coach Paul Vaudin.
‘It wasn’t much of a game to be fair. I’m just pleased to be winning again.
‘From what I’ve seen so far this season there are three teams in a group with Giants out in front.
‘The rest will have to play very well to beat them, but that’s not say that won’t happen.’
In the island’s Division One slow-pitch league, NRG Rangers overcame Tornados 14-13, but the former then lost 12-9 to Condor Ferries in nine innings.
Article posted on 17th May, 2007 - 12.00am
Loading ...
Most Commented: