Leigh shines through the controversy

GUERNSEY retained their Gaelic football title with a deserved and comprehensive victory over Jersey Irish. Their 19-11 win in the final came at the end of a hard day's play. The French and Dutch sides may not have been able to make the crossing, but the Southampton and Jersey sides that did ensured that the two local sides had to bust a gut over six hours.

There was a break for lunch and an exhibition hurling match midway through the First Active Guernsey International Seven-a-Side Tournament.

The setting was ideal: Rovers AC was as generous a host as ever, the sun shone more as the day progressed and the crowd grew to touching 200 by the time the final started.

Teams mixed sociably off the pitch; indeed many friendships have been forged over the six years the tournament has been run.

On the field, however, was a different matter.

The final was a bruising affair, a Guernsey v. Jersey clash made all the harder by the victory the visiting side recorded against their A-team hosts in the first match of the day.

For the last 10-minutes each way encounter, however, there was no way Guernsey were going to be beaten.

In Mick Leigh they had the player of the tournament.

An All-Ireland under-18 winner, he dominated the game with great handling skills, strength and a sharp eye for goal. Leigh could not be stopped by any of his Jersey opponents. Their composure waned in the second half and there were times when the action threatened to boil over.

That it didn't owed much to the refereeing.

Billy Reid and Jim Murray from Belfast club McDermott's are qualified GAA officials and their handling of all the games was the right mixture of allowing play to flow while still keeping the players under control.

The final flowed perfectly for the home side. Leigh put Guernsey ahead in the first minute then immediately made it 4-0 with a long-range goal as the Jersey keeper was caught horribly out of position.

Leigh's fifth point was followed by Jersey's first. Scores were swapped between Leigh and Jersey before Gerry Mackle made it 8-3 with a finely judged score.

Then came the moment of great controversy. Leigh and Mackle combined to break through the Jersey defence. Leigh hammered the ball past the keeper, it thudded against the bar, bounced down and was grabbed by a Jerseyman.

The referee awarded a goal, Jersey went mad.

They were still fuming as Leigh hit a left foot shot from wide that clipped a defender and dropped into the net. Jersey grabbed a score back, but at 14-4 the game was all but over.

The visitors sneaked a goal right from the start of the second half and one right at the end, but five more scores for Guernsey - spread around the team as everyone moved forward for a piece of the action - ensured a convincing (3-10) 19 to (2-5) 11 scoreline.