GUERNSEY are looking to take their great run of form in the HA Trophy into tomorrow’s hockey inter-insular.
The Greens have booked themselves into the semi-finals of the national knockout competition thanks to four wins in the earlier rounds and a staggering 7-1 drubbing of Worthing in the quarter-finals last month.
Their semi-final match is against Bristol UWE next weekend. It is the furthest the island side have ever got in the HA.
But first they are facing Jersey at Foote’s Lane.
‘We’ve been playing well and the good thing is that we’ve had five games playing together,’ said Guernsey’s player-coach Ben Allberry.
‘If it had finished in September, this would have been the next game to look forward to. It means we’re playing a better level of competition before the big day.
‘Also the fact we’ve got the next round the following weekend means it’s just another game and it’s good to have this standard of competition leading into a HA semi.’
Allberry was appointed as the island’s new development officer prior to the start of the season.
He was not present at last year’s match, which saw the Sarnians ahead 3-1 only for them to throw it away in the last 10 minutes and allow Jersey to level the game 3-3.
A draw meant Guernsey kept the trophy that they had won the year before, but Allberry said they will not take the foot off the pedal this year.
‘I wasn’t here last year so I can’t comment, but I’ve heard about it,’ he said.
‘This year we’ve shown that we can play right up to the final whistle. We proved that against Eastbourne and UCL.
‘The fitness is right up there.’
Allberry has named the same line-up from the Worthing match with only Rob Turville coming into replace Andy Good, who is away, as reserve goalkeeper.
Jersey reached the quarter-finals of the HA trophy before losing out on penalty flicks to Didsbury Northern.
‘I know nothing about them,’ said Allberry regarding Jersey.
‘I’ve heard things and I know they’ve got a couple of guys who have got a bit of skill, but you just don’t know what you’re going to get. I know we play them every year, but teams change.’
Last year’s women’s match had a similar story as well.
With Jersey having claimed the fixture for more than seven years, Guernsey ripped up the formbook to dominate the proceedings, but ended up with a 1-1 draw.
‘It was a match we should have won,’ said the women’s coach Andy Whalley.
‘All the girls were disappointed that we didn’t finish it off and do the job.
‘We’re better equipped up front this year. The back is going to be as strong as always with Lizzie Stonebridge and Debbie Hunter and we’ve got a good spine, but up front we’ve got a lot of firepower.’
Whalley said that Debbie Allen and the league’s leading goal-scorer Becky Hubbard will start in attack for the Greens.
He can call on 15-year-old Chloe Dawes and Greta Raath and Flix Renny, both 18, to come on from off the bench.
‘I’m optimistic and quietly confident [that we can win],’ said Whalley.
The day sees a total of eight senior inter-insulars take place on Foote’s Lane and the Memorial Field.
The only match not happening is the veteran’s game, known as the fifths, as Jersey have HA Vets Trophy commitments.
Push back for the women’s match is 2.15pm followed by the men’s at 4pm. Both are at Foote’s Lane.Inter-insulars: Men looking to maintain HA Trophy form against their old rivals
Article posted on 27th March, 2009 - 2.29pm
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