I FEEL a little uneasy about agreeing with Gary Neville, but he did have a fair point this week when it came to referees.

The best should always ref the top games, was his argument. So say all of us.

Strangely, it has not seemed to happen over here and all and sundry get to stand in for our top-level games.

For too long some of our best refs, and there is nobody better than Brent Blondel (pictured right), have been under-used in Division One, while others who will never make a good ref as they lack fundamental understanding of the game and the players’ ways, have been found to be out of their depth and ruined games as a consequence.

We do have good refs over here, though, and it is encouraging to hear that from next month the appointments will reflect performance.

‘Hopefully,’ said GFA chairman Mark Le Tissier, who has driven through the new appointments system, ‘the best referees will be refereeing the bigger and more challenging games, depending on availability,’ he added.

Le Tissier, an accomplished and respected official himself, revealed that for the first three months of this season referees have been marked under seven points of criteria by opposition coaches.

Those marks have been taken into account with the appointments for December.

It won’t necessarily mean that Blondel, Colin Wherry, Matt Walsh and Peter Davison will take charge of every Division One game, but we will see more of them and that will be welcomed by players, coaches and public alike.

The biggest game in December is arguably the St Martin’s-North clash on Boxing Day and, as things stand, Ian Drillot will be in the middle with Blondel and Walsh on the lines.

The Stranger Cup final, four days later, will be reffed by George Jennings with Drillot on one line and Derek Gilman on the other.

Drillot and Davison will take charge of the semis.

When Bels and Saints clash on 19 December if players get caught up in the seasonal emotion they will have to contend with Blondel being in charge with Wherry and Davison assisting him.

Of course, the new marking system will give every emerging referee a chance to reach elite standard locally and the rewards that brings.

But simply being a dedicated and available referee should not be automatically rewarded by a chance to whistle top-flight games any longer. They all need to earn their places.

The days of cheap rides to the top should be over.

SO HEATHER has hit her final ball in anger for 2009.

But what a year it has been for the Guernsey girl who will be a strong favourite to win the major island and CI sports awards early into 2010.

Like many I was disappointed to see her lose in straight sets in the first-round proper in Toronto this week, but it took some while to realise that the player who took her out 6-2, 6-4, American Alexandra Stevenson, went all the way to the Wimbledon semis a decade ago before losing to eventual winner Lindsay Davenport.

Stevenson was ranked 18 in the world at one point but has since suffered with shoulder problems. As recently as the 2006 Wimbledon she was still handy enough to beat Jelena Dokic.

Now injury free, she is still going strong in Toronto.