Sean goes through mill to finish the top scorer
DEBUTANT junior Sean Mills was Guernsey's top points scorer - albeit with only one-and-a-half - as for the third year in a row Jersey won the Ronez Inter-Island Challenge Trophy, this time quite convincingly, 16-4, at La Moye Golf Club.
DEBUTANT junior Sean Mills was Guernsey's top points scorer - albeit with only one-and-a-half - as for the third year in a row Jersey won the Ronez Inter-Island Challenge Trophy, this time quite convincingly, 16-4, at La Moye Golf Club. Mills, 18, won his foursomes in company with Mick Marley and in the closing singles produced a magnificent chip at the last to rescue a half against established Jersey star Christy McLaughlin.
Guernsey non-playing captain Steve Turvey and Mills' caddie, Colin Le Huray were full of praise for the youngster whose performance was one of the few pluses to come from a repeat result from the last time Guernsey had visited La Moye.
'He had an exceptional weekend,' said the man on Mills' bag, adding: 'He conducted himself very well for his debut.'
Mills enjoyed the experience despite a 7 and 5 stuffing in the opening fourballs.
Partnered by island champion Nigel Vaudin, they played steadily and were only two over, but home players Richard Ramskill and Andy Clarke were six under at the finish.
'I actually played quite well but didn't hold any putts,' said Mills of the defeat, but the next morning he bounced back to win one up against Gavin O'Neill and Jersey champion Matthew Parkman.
In the singles, Mills stood on the 18th tee one down to McLaughlin and two shots later was in the rough, defeat looming ever closer.
'I had to get up and down and I played a Phil Mickelson flop shot over the bunkers for a gimme.'
McLaughlin three-putted for a bogey and Mills had secured his half point.
Another Jersey win was always on the cards after the first day's play. By Saturday evening, Jersey were already 4.5 to 0.5 in the lead - Guernsey's only score coming from the last match of the day, in which Robbie Messervy and James Birch shared a point with Andy Eggo and Mike Hamon after Eggo had been given the chance of winning a point from a difficult downhill putt, on the 18th, which he missed.
By then, however, the rest of the fourball pairings were in the clubhouse with the eight other Jersey players quietly satisfied with a day's work well done.
In fact the only other island pairing who were severely tested were newcomer and island junior captain 17-year-old Gyles Robin, playing with former Hampshire County champion McLaughlin.
They were given particularly stiff competition by Marley and Jamie Blondel; but despite trailing by two holes at the halfway mark they turned the tables and ran out 2 and 1 winners when Mc Laughlin birdied the 17th.
In the other matches O'Neill and Matthew Parkman beat Bobby Eggo and David Nicolle 4 and 2; Paul Le Chevalier and Alex Guelpa beat Daniel Bisson and Campbell Hardie 5 and 4 and Ramskill and Clarke beat Vaudin and Mills 7 and 5.
It had been a tremendous day for the Jersey team and it prompted non-playing captain Terry Smith to say afterwards: 'We knew we'd probably gone into this match as favourites but at the end of the day you have to deliver the points and I was particularly pleased for young Gyles - he hits the ball a country mile and will be a force to reckon with in years to come.'
Following such a good day's play on the Saturday, in the foursomes Smith must have been hoping for something very similar on Sunday morning - and that is pretty much what he got when Jersey won 4-1, their only defeat administered by Marley and Mills who beat Parkman and O'Neill one up.
But the morning's play had seen other close matches as McLaughlin and Robin hung on for a 2 and 1 win over Bobby and Andy Eggo and Ramskill and Clarke finished one up against Vaudin and Bisson.
In the other foursomes Le Chevalier and 21-year-old Guelpa won 4 and 3 against Hardie and Hamon while Messervy and Birch beat Nicolle and Blondel 6 and 4.
The hard work seemed to be over for Jersey as the players teed off for their singles matches on a sun-drenched La Moye course, with temperatures approaching the 80s.
Guernsey needed a miracle to rescue the situation but they started well and through the turn were down in just two.
But the tide turned in the closing holes.
Hamon, three up through nine, lost five holes in a row to Clarke and lost on the last, while Vaudin also let slip a good lead.
Hardie, like Hamon and Mills a Challenge Trophy debutant, played well only to lose on the last.
Turvey admitted 'Jersey were very well prepared' and can see it will not be easy to win back the trophy given Jersey's greater strength in depth.
'In the fourballs some of our players lost a bit of form and you can't afford to do that,' he said.
As for Terry Smith, his opposite number, who is standing down as non-playing captain after four years, he said: 'I always think that if you do well in the foursomes it makes it that much easier for your side in the singles.
'Having said that, in our team talk I stressed that we didn't need many points in the afternoon, but that Guernsey never give up and they have a nasty habit of bouncing back very quickly.'
