This Is Guernsey

By Aaron Scoones

THE Grammar School boys could not emulate their girls’ team as they recently lost to Winchester College and the tallest player that they will probably ever come up against in the English Schools’ under-19 boys open basketball championship. The Grammar girls’ team made headlines last year when they won the national title.

Their heroics saw them up for the outstanding U-18 team of the year at last week’s Sports Commission Awards, which eventually went to the island’s U15 cricket team that won the European Division Two title.

And in this year’s boys’ event, the school reached the last 32 before they travelled to top public school, Winchester College, who had a 7ft 2in. German exchange student in their midst called V. Klinkonstroem.

He was responsible for 41 of the home teams points, plus numerous blocks and rebounds as his team won 78-65.

‘Not only was he huge but he was co-ordinated and could play a bit,’ said Grammar School coach Dave Legg.

‘With the German giant taken out of the equation, the Grammar School were a better team and should really have won the game.’

The Sarnian defence did a fairly good job trying to stop him but they picked up a lot of fouls in the process, resulting in three of the first five being fouled out of the game before the end.

Grammar opened up a 7-0 lead at the start of the first quarter and were looking comfortable until Winchester started to find the hands of Klinkonstroem.

However, at the end of the opening stanza, the Guernsey boys were still ahead 16-13.

Unfortunately though for Grammar, they then brought about their own downfall.

They turned the ball over too many times with careless passes and without a shot being taken.

Also at the other end of the court they failed to clean up too many easy rebounds under their own basket to allow the home team a second shot.

By the end of the second period the home team had taken a substantial 35-26 lead and Grammar were left to play catch-up.

They duly did that and just before the end of the third they had brought the lead back to six points.

But bad rebounding let the home team back in and the lead returned to 12 again.

Tom Creed top-scored on 19 points for Grammar, with Max Hamon weighing in with 18, Sam Inder 13 and James Ashplant 12.

‘It was a good learning experience for the Guernsey boys and I still feel that they were potentially the better team,’ said Legg.

‘But a good small player will never beat a good big ‘un, especially on the basketball court.’