This Is Guernsey

By Matt Lihou

Bels’ Priaulx player of the year Joby Bourgaize, above right, and his teammates are not involved in the opening day’s fixtures for the new Senior County League Division One. Instead they will host St Peter in the Deloitte CI Champions League. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0565808)

THE Priaulx League is no longer.  With the fixtures for the new season announced, the proposed changes to names of the local leagues has come to a grey fruition.

The two-tier senior league will now be known as Senior County League Divisions One and Two under the continued sponsorship of Sure Mobile.

When plans were originally announced to change the names as part of the GFA’s radical changes, the idea was met with scepticism from many players and coaches, including North boss Mick Le Prevost. At the time, he said: ‘It’s always been called the Priaulx. I don’t know why they are going to change it.’

However, after the confirmation of the change, Le Prevost believed that a line should be drawn and people should worry about  more important matters. ‘What’s done is done, we just need to get on with the new season now,’ he said.

The GFA had opened up a ‘Name the League’ competition so that people could put forward ideas, but the GFA’s commercial director, James Blower, said the response had been poor and no alternative suggestions were put forward.

‘We had only one person who entered the competition and he wanted it kept as the Priaulx League.

‘We considered that idea, but we thought it would get too confusing because people might not know which league had actually been dropped.

‘It is disappointing, because a lot of people in local football have strong opinions, but they didn’t put forward any ideas,’ he said.

The opening day of the league season, on Saturday 30 August, will see Rangers host North, Rovers travelling to St Martin’s and Sylvans face Vale Rec at St Peter’s.

On the same day, Channel Islands champions Bels will play host to St Peter from Jersey in the new Deloitte CI Champions League, which was formerly the Jeremie Cup.

Article posted on 23rd July, 2008 - 2.29pm