Stronger than ever but the pressure's on

SEVEN players under the age of 18 have been named in the provisional squad for the Rhodes Games, from which a team will travel with the burden of defending its title. Guernsey won six medals in Shetland two years ago, but the team success was the only golden one.

'This time, we are the team everyone wants to beat,' said manager Lionel Jones.

Already, weekly training sessions are being staged for potential Games competitors and the initial selection shows an intriguing mix of youth and experience.

Barring Jez Powell, all the island's top players are fighting it out for places and the GTTA plan additional intensive training sessions with off-island coaches in the coming months.

Seven players, including four juniors, are contesting the four men's places.

They are Peter Bretel, Garry Dodd, Phil Hunkin, Adam and Oliver Langlois, Phil Ogier and Scott Romeril.

The women's team will be a similar size and the candidates are Kay Chivers, Helen Fooks, Dawn Morgan, Alice Loveridge, Paula Le Ber and Bethany Pipet.

'The GTTA selection committee has some difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks regarding their selection,' admitted Jones.

'I, for one, don't envy them their task but the outcome of the results of the Channel Islands Top 12 tournament here in Guernsey on Saturday 27 January go some way in helping them in their deliberations.'

Rhodes are expecting 13 to 15 islands and about 100 competitors to take part.

However, it is not clear how many of these will be in the team event.

Given that it is likely to be the 11 islands that competed in 2005 the groups will be as follows:

Group A - Guernsey, Faroe Islands, Green-land, Jersey and Aland.

Group B - Gotland, Shetland Islands, Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, Rhodes and Orkney.

Any additional teams would be added to the foot of each group, starting with A, with the next two being added to B in accordance with the IIGA seeding snake by the Technical Committee.

Jones said there were no easy matches.

'The team will need to be playing their best table tennis right from the start as everyone wants to beat the current champions, not least Jersey who are still, no doubt, smarting over the 7-0 whitewash in 2005.'

The outcome of the 2007 team event is difficult to predict.

While the Guernsey players are improving all the time with exposure to better off-island competition, the same can be said for the other islands as many of their players regularly compete outside their domestic leagues.

Realistically the winner must come from Guernsey, Gotland, the Faroes or Shetland as they have all been consistent performers and medal winners in past Island Games.

The Isle of Wight could be the dark horse should Carl Prean play for them in Rhodes.

Jones is confident that Guernsey can come back with medals at both team and individual level.

Acclimatisation is, he says, an important issue even though they will be playing indoors.

'They will most certainly need to get used to the increase in temperature and humidity of the playing arena.

'It not only affects the players physically but also the behaviour of the ball.

'To this end the Rhodes officials have made the venue available for practice on both Friday and Saturday prior to the Games.'

The venue is the Rodion Paidia Indoor Hall, part of the Rodion Paidia Private School sports complex which is air conditioned and meets all ITTF regulations.

If the anticipated playing number proves to be correct, then individual fitness and team selection will be all important in completing such a taxing schedule in conditions that will be alien to the majority of the players.