ISLAND women’s coach Pat Ogier has named a strong squad to go to Rhodes in the summer. The greens go into the tournament as reigning champions having won the gold medal the last time the competition took place at the 2003 Guernsey Games.

Liz Kerr, the former Australian league player, will be captain as well as the team’s main threat, while Emma Pattimore (nee Webb) takes up the vice-captain role and the mother-and-daughter combination of Lorna and Kerri Brown also make the cut.

Christina Hartwich is the only new cap to be going as Lenka Cervinkova is back in after returning to the league at the start of the season. The powerful Czech was out for two years due to injury and she will certainly add some steel to Guernsey’s inside game.

‘I think it’s probably the strongest squad we’ve had for an Island Games. There’s more strength in depth than in previous years,’ said Ogier.

The other competing islands have also been announced.

Joining Rhodes are Bermuda, Cayman, Gibraltar, Gotland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Menorca, the last of which is in the Games for the first time and entering both a men’s and women’s team.

Prince Edward Island is fielding only a women’s team, while Isle of Wight, Saaremaa and Ynys Mon are going with men only.

Ogier does not know what to expect as his team look to retain their trophy.

‘It’s a bit of an unknown,’ he said.

‘We’ve never played Gotland and I’ve only seen videos from when they won it in 1999. If they take a full squad, they will be up there.

‘Cayman, Rhodes and Gibraltar are going to be strong. Then you’ve got Bermuda, Menorca and Prince Edward Island and we know nothing about them but there’s a good chance they’ll be quite strong as well.’