Guernsey aim to mark and then wreck Gray's 30th-anniversary party

A JERSEYMAN takes centre stage on the L'Ancresse links this weekend. There will be no more hotly-contested inter-island clash in 2003 than golf's RoyScot inter-insular for the Challenge Trophy, but regardless of the result a couple of old mates will have a beer or two at the end of it, just as they have done through three decades of competition.

Jersey's Trevor Gray is set to appear in his 30th successive golf 'Muratti.'

The occasion will be marked by the Guernsey Golf Union and no 'donkey' will applaud louder than David Warr.

Between them Gray and Warr have 55 appearances to their name.

Former England schoolboy international Warr appeared on the inter-insular scene first in 1970, Gray three years later.

They have clashed numerous times since, as well as lining up together for the Hampshire county side.

The mutual respect runs deep and Warr is happy to pile on the sentiment ahead of the biggest occasion in CI golf.

'His conduct is always exemplary; he quite genuinely loves the game and is always an extremely difficult and competitive opponent,' adds Warr, who should know.

After all, they have played against one another so many times.

The two have gone head-to-head in three inter-island singles, as well as three times in the fourballs and four in the foursomes.

Throw in all those Royal Guernsey v. Royal Jersey encounters and the pair know each other's game inside out.

'He's still a hugely competitive guy and is highly regarded and respected by all the Guernsey players,' adds a man who is probably equally popular among the Caesareans.

That Gray remains so good is testament to his competitive instinct.

For years he has struggled with the yips when it comes to chipping from short range, a problem that would break the heart and mind of most golfers.

Not Gray though, who has soldiered through manfully and always sportingly.

Warr's own 'Muratti' career began in 1970 as a 16-year-old.

He recalls the occasion for the way the weekend reached its climax.

With just the singles remaining the Guernsey youngster, who lined up in the same England boys team as Howard Clark and once beat Scotland's Ewen Murray in the home internationals, was sitting down to the then traditional pre-singles lunch.

Warr complained of feeling unwell, his stomach wracked by pain.

'It's probably nerves David, that's all,' said Dr Peter Mudge, sitting alongside the debutant.

That night and with a debut victory over Charlie Wagner under his belt, Warr was in hospital with acute appendicitis.

In truth, Warr had been nervous. He was then and will be again at the weekend.

'I think it is going to be a very evenly-matched contest, but

historically we have always had this ability to win at home,' says Warr.

'I think it will be a very tight game indeed...we will have to play very well to win.'

Such uncontroversial talk is in contrast to the words of Terry Smith, Jersey's non-playing captain.

A whole month before the match he stoked up the inter-island passion by claiming that Jersey's team was so good that if they played well they would 'stuff Guernsey out of sight.'

Warr prefers to think that Smith, another old adversary of his, had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he made those comments.

Whatever Smith's intentions were, his words have served only to bind the already close-knit Guernsey team further together.

Steve Turvey's Guernsey squad will take some beating around L'Ancresse.

The return to the side of Steve Mahy and David Nicolle gives the squad a formidably experienced look.

Who will partner whom in the various fourballs and foursomes won't be revealed until tomorrow, but Warr does not lose sleep as to who his partners will be.

'I have always had a laid-back approach to who my partner is.'

Warr, still reasonably long off the tee, thrashed Myles Jones, the new CI champion, 7 and 6 at Grouville last year, a result which underlines that 'Warro' is still far from the inter-insular scrap-heap.

But he knows time is no longer on his side.

He will be well into his 51st year by the time the 2004 match comes around and while he has plans to work hard on his general fitness in the coming months he would rather go out at the top before he can be accused of being past it.

When that will be? Only Warr knows.

What he will say, though, is that suggestions that he is about to embark on the seniors' professional tour are as wild as a Seve Ballesteros drive.