GUERNSEY will host an alternative Island Games for bowls and squash later this year. With the two sports not featuring in this summer’s event proper in Rhodes, it was decided to organise competitions for both on the island from 29 September to 5 October.

‘It’s been going really well from a bowls side of things,’ said the Bowls Guernsey chief executive, Garry Collins, who is the Games co-ordinator.

‘So far confirmed we’ve got Ynys Mon, who are sending 15 bowlers, and the Isle of Wight, who are sending 16. At the end we could have 120 or 200, it depends on what disciplines they want to fulfil.

‘I’m loving it, opening my post and finding these cheques. I think it’s going to be a success and it’s been quite nice and encouraging because we’ve really made an effort with the website,’ Collins said.

‘It’s adding a bit of excitement. It seems that there are some big teams coming.’

The website can be found at www.2007bsGuernsey.com.

The idea came about at the 2005 Games in Shetland and all the members of the International Island Games Association have been invited to participate. Collins and his fellow organisers are expecting that possibly 15 different ones will take part.

The organising committee is made up of officials from both sports in Guernsey.

Also on board is Roy Martel, who is the chairman of Sports Guernsey which has provided financial support for the venture.

The patron of the Games is the Bailiff Geoffrey Rowland, who along with wife Diana will be presenting each competing team with a gift on behalf of Guernsey at the opening ceremony.

That will be held at the Peninsula Hotel on Sunday 30 September.

The island’s director of squash, Peter Bridgeman, is helping run the squash tournament.

Top international referee Roy Gingell, who officiated last year’s Commonwealth Games final in Melbourne, will be the tournament referee.

Bridgeman says that the response has been good, with Jersey, Bermuda, Shetland and the Cayman Islands all close to confirming.

He also believes that the Games will benefit squash in Guernsey.

‘All the islands that participated in Shetland have shown an interest and now it’s the hard work to get them to commit to coming over,’ he said.

‘It’s a fantastic opportunity and again it keeps the sport in the spotlight and hopefully there will be some excellent squash on the island.

‘I was disappointed that squash and bowls weren’t at Rhodes.

‘When you have a sport in one year, then not the next, it’s not good because it doesn’t give that sport the opportunity to grow.’

Both bowls and squash will follow their Island Games format.

In bowls there will be men’s and women’s competitions in singles, pairs and fours while squash will have men’s and women’s singles and doubles as well as mixed doubles.

The bowls will take place at the Guernsey Bowls Stadium and in a snub to King’s, squash is set to take place on the glass courts at Beau Sejour.

At the end of last year, the private club announced that it was considering reducing the number of courts it has from four to two.

There has been some criticism in the past about the standard of Beau Sejour’s courts.

‘We’re holding it at Beau Sejour because we don’t know what is going on at King’s,’ said Bridgeman.

‘It’s a difficult one but from spectators’ point of view, it’s better to have it at Beau Sejour.’