Guernsey just awesome

Guernsey 47, Jersey 41

'AWESOME' was the word on most people's lips and Guernsey were just that. The one person who didn't say it was coach Tracie Hards. She was simply speechless and no-one can blame her either because every one of her seven starters turned in absolutely sensational performances.

Although quietly confident going into the game, she could not have dreamt of a better display.

When Hards did finally manage a sentence, it was a duly apt one.

'I would not have liked to have picked a player-of-the-match there because they all played superbly,' she said.

The six-goal margin did not tell the whole story as with less than five minutes to go the home side were 46-34 ahead - an incredible statistic for an inter-insular.

Guernsey were then guilty of taking their foot off the pedal slightly and Jersey deserve credit for continuing to push for goals, but victory was already assured thanks to an amazing second half from the home side.

After two quarters only a single goal separated the teams.

Guernsey had started brightly with Kerrie Hussey banishing any nerves in her first inter-insular as goal-shooter early on and Sonia Grant-Yendell showing no signs of the illness that struck her overnight and which threatened to stop her participation.

Jersey's shooters Zoe Hotton and Shelby Houghton rarely missed as well but they did not get as many chances as their Guernsey counterparts in a first quarter that ended 12-9.

Halfway through the second period, Guernsey were looking unstoppable as they extended their lead to 20-14 as the combination of Hussey's height and the link up play between Claire Queripel, Nena Bourgaize and Grant-Yendell worked wonderfully.

But Jersey responded well to go into the third trailing just 22-21 and they edged into the lead briefly at the start of that quarter.

Suddenly though, Guernsey clicked once more by keeping things simple rather than forcing passes and Jersey had no answer.

By the time they went into the final quarter leading 36-30, the Sarnians were playing almost exhibition netball from front to back and the lead just kept growing.

The drop off in the closing stages coincided with Queripel's withdrawal due to cramp but nothing was going to detract from this very special triumph.

18-year-old Naomi Taylor was deservedly named player-of-the-match.

'This makes up so much for last year - what a performance,' said Hards.