This Is Guernsey

TEENAGERS Nick Merrien and Fran Babbe held their nerve superbly to secure Guernsey Seconds a dramatic 8-7 victory over Dorset Thirds. Following a 12-3 loss for the first team away to a strong Jersey side on Saturday, this proved to be a timely fillip for the Sarnians.

After a couple of heavy defeats at the start of the season the coaches of the Guernsey county teams could easily have abandoned their plan to blood the younger players, but their boldness was rewarded on Sunday.

The Sarnians again fielded just two players over the age of 24, yet the side has grown in confidence and commitment dramatically over the first month of the season and looked galvanised by their earlier defeats.

The singles rubbers showed that this was going to be a tight match, as the scores were level at two apiece.

Miranda Knight and Babbe both won in straight sets while Richard Wood lost in three tight sets against Hillman and 15-year-old Harry Southwell showed plenty of guts and potential on his senior debut but lost in two close sets to Streets.

Guernsey’s women continued to lead the way and won all four rubbers in the doubles event.

Annika Johnson partnered Knight to win their two rubbers comfortably and Renee Stuart and Jayne Goldborne again showed good form and concentration in winning their two with ease.

The story was very different in the men’s doubles.

When concentration is paramount in tight matches, James Domaille and Wood were distracted by a dispute over the scoreline at 19-11 and let the game slip to the Dorset pairing of Marsh and Downes, 21-19.

Wood and Domaille struggled to recover their composure and lost their second rubber to Hillman and Streets also in two sets.

Guernsey’s second pairing of Jed Le Page and Merrien put up a strong fight against March and Downes but lost in three and also suffered defeat to Hillman and Streets in straight sets.

That left the score tied at 6-6 going into the three mixed doubles rubbers.

Guernsey’s captain Domaille partnered Goldborne against Hillman and Zabel, and looked as if they were going to put the hosts into the driving seat after they won the first set 22-20. But they were pegged back by a tough Dorset pair in the second and third, losing 15-21, 13-21.

At 6-7 down it was left to Wood to repair the damage, partnering Johnson to a straight sets win over Downes and Guernsey’s Bournemouth University student Lizzie Guilbert.

The pairing of Merrien and Babbe could have been forgiven for showing some nerves going into the deciding rubber after the early season results, but those seemed to have spurred on both players and they have shown a much greater resolve in their training and match play.

So it was fitting that they won the deciding rubber 21-12, 22-20 over March and Hillman to give Guernsey the 8-7 win they deserved.

Guernsey coach Pauline Leadbeater was delighted with the efforts and resolve of the young players, who continue to mature and improve at an astounding rate in the early part of the season and will surely only move on to improved results in the second half of the campaign.

n Later this week Guernsey’s younger players will again be in action in the Guernsey Junior Open, which is hosting players from the islands and also England and Wales, including a young man in the top-10 at under-18 level in England.

It starts on Friday afternoon with the finals at noon on Sunday.

That will be followed by the Senior Island Championships, which run from 26-29 November. As always entry is free for spectators.