This Is Guernsey

Guernsey 3, Purley John Fisher 8
GUERNSEY don’t do home defeats.

They simply are not part of the make-up of the modern Guernsey first XV striving for progress and promotion from London Three South-West. But very occasionally, they happen and there was no disgrace in this defeat against Purley John Fisher, the league’s second-placed side and potential champions.

It’s very appropriate that they play in black-and-blue because, at this level, that’s just how they leave the opposition as Guernsey found out in 80 of the toughest minutes they have had at Foote’s Lane this winter. Skipper Andy Bailey admitted as much.

‘We lost to a very good team today.’

Guernsey were heroic in defence and just had to be on a day when defences ruled and chances of a home score were at a premium.

Bailey described the defeat as ‘mentally disappointing’ but in any sport there was a time when you simply had to admit to being second best, deservedly beaten by a superior side, and this was one of those occasions.

Indeed, one seasoned observer to the ‘Lane’ reckoned it to be the best Guernsey ‘team’ display in a very long time.

Purley flew at Guernsey from the moment, just 20 seconds into the game, fly half Blair Campbell dropped a simple take and knocked on.

The visitors and their massive pack pushed hard for the try, but Guernsey bravely held on and that was, in the main, the story of the afternoon – Purley on the offensive and Guernsey hanging on with impressive courage and physical strength.

Having finally cleared their lines, Guernsey might have scored the first points but, given the chance from a distance, Nick Barton left his wind-assisted penalty attempt from left of the posts well short.

On the 20min. mark Guernsey, indeed, did go ahead.

After threatening the Purley line for several minutes, an illegal hand in a ruck gave Barton the simple chance of three points in front of the posts.

Holding the imposing Purley pack was, however, no easy task and after referee Patterson had delivered a long lecture to Guernsey skipper Bailey and a member of the home pack, he lost patience with the home side and yellow-carded Layton Batiste.

Ben Mahy was sacrificed as Rob Palmer came on to fill the gap in the front row and it was while they were down to 14 and with half-time still five minutes away, the visitors finally broke the line.

Having swung the move one way and then the next, fullback Thomas Casey cut in off the right touchline to score five yards from the corner.

Although Stuart Sowell missed a difficult conversion, Purley went into half-time heartened to be ahead and with the prospect of the wind at their backs for the second 40.

Guernsey were back to strength on the resumption with Batiste and Mahy back on, but the half was just three minutes old when the home side offended in front of their posts and Sowell scored three straightforward points for an 8-3 lead.

The deficit may have been small but it did not require a genius to see that the prospects of a home try were slim.

Purley John Fisher’s defensive line was even more impregnable than the home one.

Just once did Guernsey momentarily threaten a score, only for a case of cold hands costing the green-and-whites as Campbell provided the pass 10 metres short of the line.

Thereafter, it was the Guernsey line under regular periods of physical bombardment and when the home side did have the ball in hand, it was invariably deep into their own half with little prospect of serious incursion into Purley’s.

Finally, after more then six minutes of added time, the whistle went for the final time and Guernsey’s unbeaten record dating back to January 2007 had gone.

‘The guys played with a huge amount of heart,’ said a proud Bailey.

‘We had a couple of opportunities, which we needed to have taken, but they are a very good team.’

True words.