Island squad hit at both ends - coach drafted in

GUERNSEY begin their English Counties Netball League campaign this weekend without three key personnel, two of whom will be missing from the squad indefinitely. Coach Tracie Hards has been forced to shuffle her pack with influential shooter Dawn Browning out injured, possibly for the rest of the season, and at the other end of the court the Sarnians have been hit by Kerrie Hussey's decision to take a break from the game.

Meanwhile, Liz Stone-bridge misses out on the trip due to other commitments.

However, the arrival of Nerine's new signing, Sonia Grant-Yendall, will help to offset the loss of Browning in attack, while the coach herself will don the GK bib in place of Hussey.

'I am really looking forward to it actually,' said Hards on getting her opportunity to be player/coach.

Guernsey's opening two fixtures take in visits to Herefordshire on Saturday and East Devon 24 hours later and the coach is 'fairly confident' of securing two wins.

'I think East Devon will be the tougher one of the two games, but because it is the first weekend of the league for every team, we do not really know what the other teams are like,' Hards said.

'We beat both teams last year but we have a few changes and it could be the case that they have had a few as well.

'The Hereford team is usually more mature than ours so perhaps our speed on court will win us that game.

'Against East Devon, we won by only one goal and they were ahead for virtually all of the match, so we felt a bit cheeky taking it with the last throw of the game. But hopefully we can repeat that result this time.'

This will be the first season that Guernsey has teams playing in both the English County League and the National Clubs League and Hards believes that Nerine's adventures in the latter competition will also benefit her squad.

'It is good for them and good for Guernsey netball as a whole that they are playing more to their level and are being tested when they go away.

'It is improving their game and hopefully it will have a knock on effect with the experience they gain from it,' said the Guernsey coach.

Hards has set her squad a couple of targets for this season although the first could turn out to be a double-edged sword.

'However, if we go up, that requires more commitment from the girls and more money because you go from playing teams that can all be reached by flying to Southampton to having to travel all over England.

'The other aim, definitely, is to beat Jersey in the A and B matches,' said Hards.