Turvey defends L'Ancresse green staff

STEVE TURVEY has moved swiftly to scoff suggestions that the slow L'Ancresse greens played a part in Guernsey's dismal 16-4 defeat in the golf inter-insular. In the week leading up to the Challenge Trophy match on the lightning-quick Royal Jersey greens, the L'Ancresse course was dressed by green staff making the putting surfaces notably slow.

'The players didn't think it was that much of an issue,' said non-playing captain Turvey yesterday, the morning after a team debriefing.

Turvey made the point that the speed of the Grouville greens also caused the home players a few problems.

'Some of the Jersey players thought that they were as quick as they have been all season.'

On the issue of the L'Ancresse greens, Turvey said: 'At the end of the day Golf Course Management have got to do what they've got to do within their time scale,'

Turvey also pointed out that green staff had had to cope with three diseases on the greens this year and consequently they had not been as good as normal.

Having accepted an invitation to stay on as captain in 2005, Turvey has concluded that in the case of senior inter-insular golf you can't do much to overcome home advantage.

'When you look at the actual results and before this year's match both Guernsey and Jersey had 14 wins each.

'We've won three times away and they have won four away.'

'Seven games went to the 18th and three to the 17th.'

On those same Grouville greens last weekend Guernsey's Micky King and Jack Mitchell won the CI seniors (over-55s) and junior matchplay titles respectively.