Former Muratti man's run halted by Pipet

MARK PIPET won his fourth Jack Carrington Trophy title 31 years after his first, but the big story was not so much his success, but whom he had to beat in the final. Former Muratti footballer Carl Le Tissier shocked everyone, including himself, to reach his first ever final.

'That's the best I've ever played,' said the 41-year-old who has found a new lease of sporting life since he rediscovered the sport a couple of years back through supporting his young sons.

On the way to the final, Le Tissier, who plays just once a week in the Second Division for Lions D, put out a string of emerging youngsters who might have seen him as an easy touch.

But, as Pipet pointed out, Le Tissier has got something special which the youngsters will learn only in time: experience.

'What they don't realise is he's got the mettle, that he's got the spirit,' said Pipet with reference to the former footballer's liking for the big sporting occasion.

Nor will many present have known that Le Tissier once was a national champion.

That was back in 1978 when, aged 13, he was part of the Capelles Youth Club team along side Kay Herquin, Anne Lesbirel and Steve Renouf which landed the national MAYC title and collected their awards at Alexandra Palace.

Twenty-eight years on, Le Tissier won two of his three qualifying pool matches and three straight knockout matches to reach the final.

In the last 16, he put out Tim Le Page, one of the eight group seeds, 3-1, and in the quarter-finals surprised young Adam Langlois, who has beaten him in all their recent meetings, by the same score.

Le Tissier then accounted for another youngster, Matthew Stubbington, 3-0 in the semi-finals.

'There's life in the old dog yet,' he laughed the following day.

But Pipet was a class above, as the losing finalist was happy to admit.

'The shots he plays are a lot quicker. It's a different pace altogether,' said Le Tissier who went down 5-11, 8-11, 5-11.

Pipet was favourite to win the event from the moment his wife, Tina, entered him.

'She said there's a tournament on the board, asked if I wanted to play and I said yes,' said the 48-year-old who is playing as well as ever.

His only tough match came in the semi-final in which he had to come from 2-1 down in games to beat the defending champion, Phil Hunkin.

His latest Carrington success was possible due to his self-imposed retirement from inter-insular action.

The event, which was inaugurated in 1954 and was donated by the pre-war England international, Jack Carrington, who coached in the island in the early fifties, does not admit any player who has played in the Green Trophy team within the last two years.

It is several seasons since Pipet stepped back from the Guernsey team and it has allowed him to win the cup three times in the last six years and a record four times all told.