ISLAND Games organisers should fund satellite competitions for excluded sports – or guarantee them a stay in the event, according to the director of island squash. Peter Bridgeman has organised a squash tournament at Beau Sejour next week which has attracted world-ranked players in what he describes as like a B event on the international tour.

With indoor bowls running their own unofficial British Islands Games at Hougue du Pommier, the two sports are responding jointly to their exclusion from this year’s Rhodes Games.

Being left out of the NatWest Island Games was a big blow for local squash, said Bridgeman.

‘Squash and bowls were well received in Shetland in 2005. I think that we should have had at least three consecutive years before we could be left out.

‘New sports coming in should have a chance to get into the Island Games.

‘Some sports have a safety net and that’s fair enough, but we need the carrot of events like this for the players to help squash to grow.

‘We did so well in 2005 – what a waste to let all that disappear.’

He said that if it was impossible to stage the sport at an Island Games – bowls officials, for example, know that some islands don’t have any infrastructure for bowls and they could not be included every year – then the International Island Games Association should consider financial support for the type of satellite event being staged next week.

Bridgeman said that many of the islands invited to Guernsey next week were staying away on cost grounds. Jersey are entering only the team event and the Isle of Wight is not taking part in the team competition, both to keep costs down.

The alternative Island Games has no sponsor and is being backed by the Guernsey Sports Commission, which has allowed squash to raise a small amount of prize money.