Nerine well prepared to defend their open crown

NERINE TRUST will have to be at the top of their form if they are to defend their title at the biennial Guernsey Netball Open this weekend. Twenty-four teams will converge on Beau Sejour for three days from tomorrow, three-quarters of them being visiting sides from the UK, looking to relieve the Guernsey champions of their crown.

Not that that will be an easy task.

In the 2002 final against Jersey outfit St Clement, make-shift goal-attack Claire Queripel came up with a couple of vital goals to make it 10-9 and claim the honours in the nerve-racking climax Nerine became the first home winners of the tournament.

The arrival of the excellent Sonia Grant-Yendall will allow the coach's daughter to play in a more familiar position this weekend and Kerrie Hussey will also be available to play shooter.

'We are as quietly confident as you can be when going into the unknown,' said the Nerine Trust coach. 'We are not going to give up the title without a fight.'

The visitors will be a mixture of familiar faces and tournament newcomers.

Tringham and Wokingham will be returning once again; both teams have been regulars at the Open ever since it began in 1988, while the newcomers include clubs of a decent pedigree.

'SAS are bringing two teams and they are run by two of the England men's team, Colin Hill and Ian Root, who is also director of netball for All England.

'We have also got the Isle of Man and the Navy coming.

'I think the Isle of Man will mainly be their county side and the Navy will bring a full side as well.

'It is going to be a good competition,' Queripel added.

The 24 teams will be split into four groups for tomorrow afternoon and Saturday morning sessions before being seeded into three divisions for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. The finals will then take place.

Games are eight minutes each way.

'They have got quite a lot of netball. We have worked it out to be around 300 games over the three days,' said Queripel.

'With the matches being quite short, they will be very hard- fought games. There will be no time for relaxing - they will be going at it full tilt all the time.'