GUERNSEY A retained the mixed touch rugby title at the recent Mainland Cup in Heidelberg, Germany.

The Greens’ thrilling 5-4 win over Spain secured the trophy that they won at the inaugural Mainland Cup in 2007.

The island’s mixed B team came fourth.

‘It was a fantastic performance from every single member of the squad and their commitment, effort and attitude were an absolute credit to Guernsey,’ said Guernsey Touch chairwoman Katrina Bray. ‘There is no doubt that the touch community definitely knows about Guernsey and the teams in green were described by the organisers as the teams to beat.

‘We were unsure how well we would do at this year’s tournament as the line-up of our teams had changed dramatically since last year so it’s outstanding that we have returned with the trophy.

‘As the sport has grown in Guernsey, the reliance on non-locals to bolster the team has reduced and we now have a very stable team which we can build upon over the winter ready for next year’s European Championship in Bristol.’

A total of 10 different European nations took part in the two-day competition.

Guernsey Mixed A was in a pool with Scotland, Belgium, Germany and Austria while Guernsey Mixed B faced Spain, Holland and France in their round-robin games.

The Mixed A’s first game saw them beat Germany 9-1 with four touchdowns from Alec Bailey, two each from James Gavey and captain Mark Rodliffe and the ninth from Aaron Le Masurier.

In their second game, they scored eight touchdowns to beat Austria, who managed to get through Guernsey’s defence only twice.