Scott the brave puts the seal on fine team effort

SCOTT ROMERIL'S spectacular victory capped a fine team performance as Guernsey retained the Green Trophy. The 15-year-old debutant secured the winning rubber with a remarkable come-from-behind triumph over Jersey champion Paul Marshall after the Sarnians had shown a few jitters in sight of the finishing line.

The match between the islands' top men started ominously for Guernsey.

Experienced Pete Bretel was sent out first by coach Phil Hunkin, but Jersey put out their number one, Paul Marshall.

The Sarnian played some good table tennis but Marshall was always in control and looked particularly hungry after the previous evening's defeat in the CI singles final.

He got Jersey off to the perfect start, winning 3-0.

Guernsey's top player, Phil Ogier, levelled things up in the second match, though, against debutant Trevor Le Feuvre.

He always looked in command and, despite a couple of scares, ran out a convincing 3-1 winner.

In the first critical game of the night, Romeril faced the challenge of Jersey stalwart Eugene Ellis and, as introductions to Green matches go, Romeril could not get anything tougher.

Fortunately for Guernsey, the youngster is no respecter of reputations and, in one of the most spectacular debuts of recent times, he took Ellis to the cleaners.

Romeril clearly didn't feel any nerves and calmly took the first two sets, 11-8 and 11-9.

Ellis briefly rallied to take the third set to five, but Romeril regrouped and snatched the fourth 11-9 for a fantastic win to edge Guernsey 2-1 ahead.

Ogier, a Green fixture - and when not playing locals, a cut above the rest, British league included - demonstrated why most consider him number one in Guernsey with a very convincing 3-0 win over CI top-12 champ Marshall.

The Guernseyman oozed class and spectators wondered how he ever loses locally as he secured Guernsey a 3-1 lead with perhaps the best game of the night.

Ellis and Bretel were next up, both wanting to win their first of the night, and in another vital game, it was Bretel who produced the goods.

He sprinted into a 2-0 lead with some sharp table tennis, but Ellis doesn't roll over easily and won the next two games to level.

In the decider, Bretel played his best game of the night to clinch a vital win for Guernsey and create a 4-1 lead.

The doubles was a key game and Guernsey had not had much joy in recent encounters, but Ogier and Bretel performed admirably to beat Marshall and Ellis convincingly 3-1 and put them tantalisingly within touching distance of the win.

But that proved hard to secure.

Romeril was next on against fellow debutant Le Feuvre and was expected to wrap the match up against someone equally inexperienced.

The Jerseyman, though, was no makeweight in their team and quickly wrapped up a 3-0 win, putting Jersey back into it.

Ellis then took on Ogier and in a complete reversal, the Caesarean showed just what he was capable of and annihilated Ogier 3-1.

That made it 5-3 and Guernsey were wondering where the winning rubber was coming from.

Jersey champion Marshall faced a dejected Romeril and, in a high quality game, took the first two legs on deuce and 11-8.

However, his Sarnian opponent was playing well and in the third game Marshall opened up an 8-3 lead but Romeril reduced it to 8-7.

The home player called a time-out but it was Romeril who benefited, snatching the game 11-9 and one of the best comebacks in Green history was on the cards.

Romeril took the next to eight and in one of the classic final ends, he played the game of his young life and grabbed the decider 12-10, much to the delight of the Guernsey supporters who duly mobbed him.

Coach Hunkin was naturally delighted.

'The weight of expectation was on Scott but we told him, one win and we'd be delighted and two would be unbelievable,' he said.

'Scott was sensational and he has a great future, but full marks also to Phil and Pete, who both played crucial roles and won the vital games.'

Another highlight of the weekend was the retaining of the aggregate trophy by a convincing 75-35.

Guernsey won the women's match 9-1, with fine performances from Dawn Morgan, Kay Chivers and Helen Fooks.

Both Chivers and Morgan beat CI champ Kay Le Feuvre.

The Sarnian juniors were dominant all weekend, winning at every level convincingly and things will only get better.

Guernsey now boasts several CI champions and Mark Pipet is challenged only by the performances of prodigy Alice Loveridge.

Pipet turned back the years to become CI men's champion, beating Jersey's Marshall 4-2 before overcoming ex-champion Ellis in the veterans, 4-3.

Loveridge took four titles: under-13 open, under-15 girls, under-18 girls and, with Kay Chivers, the women's doubles.

Also CI champions are Liam Robilliard (under 11), Adam Langlois (under 15), Scott Romeril (under 18) and Peter Powell (over 60).