KYLIE ROBILLIARD will be a significant absentee at this weekend’s two-day athletics inter-insular at Foote’s Lane. While the GIAAC seeks to defend the overall trophy, as well as the men’s and women’s trophies, the 16-year-old national sprint hurdles champion will be unpacking her bags at Loughborough College where she starts a new term on Monday.

Robilliard’s absence from today’s senior match against Jersey Spartans and tomorrow’s under-17s, certainly leaves a big hole to fill.

Team manager John Goodall recognises that.

‘It’s going to be a lot closer this year because as far as the women goes we are fairly depleted.

‘As well as Kylie, Kimberley [Goodall] and Helen Tolcher are both at weddings in the UK.

‘But we have some extremely good youngsters like Laura Arblaster and Gemma Tingay coming up into the seniors and they will help compensate.’

The Guernsey women still have Island Games medallists on view and will be hopeful for good points hauls from the likes of Danielle Troke, Emma Batiste and Erica Bodman.

The men’s squad is close to strength with the major absentee being Lee Merrien.

But the home club still have plenty of depth in the middle and long distance events and it is difficult to see any blue-vested athlete getting the better of Lee Garland in the 800 and 1,500m.

Once again the key to the GIAAC men’s Montague Burton trophy defence will be decathlete Dale Garland.

Not for the first time in this match he will be needed here, there and everywhere.

Jersey’s tactics will be to wear him out as much as possible.

One of the feature races will pit Garland against colleague Ryan de Haaff and Jersey’s top sprinter, young Stephen Prosser, in the 200m.

Tomorrow’s seniors, under-15s and under-11s match starts at 1pm and runs through until 5.30pm.

On Sunday, it is the turn of the under-17s and under-13s with the same start time.

One Spartan athlete to look out for is young discus sensation Jamie Stevenson.

Ranked number one under-15 in the country, Stevenson comes to Guernsey having just won the Scottish age-group title with a British record throw of 44.76 metres.

Also on Sunday, the island’s leading walkers go in the annual Church to Church race starting from the South Esplanade at 9am (women), 9.30am (men).