Money can't beat hunger

WHAT do Heather Watson, Teresa Roberts, Pete Townsend and myself have in common? Just one thing unfortunately – the same birthday, 19 May.

Take birthdays and me out of the equation and the remaining trio would still be linked through a vision to achieve something special.

Townsend did it via music and The Who, Watson is well down the road to achieving her sporting dreams in tennis and Roberts, at 13 the youngest of the three, has, as today's feature on the final St Peter Port School sports day clearly demonstrates, is a girl who knows what she wants: to be at the Olympics in 2012.

Nobody should laugh at Teresa's quoted ambition, because for all our young sports stars it is necessary to have a dream to get somewhere.

With no ambition you get nowhere and so often you need deep pockets too.

This week Guernsey saw the individual sponsorship deal to outstrip any previous one in local sport – well any that has been publicised.

A cool £75,000 over three years means Heather Watson has had a second birthday in not much more than a month after her 16th.

It will enable her parents to send her around the world to play in as many as 25 international tournaments a year.

And if she achieves her goal to become a tour professional and play Wimbledon main tournament year in, year out, Sportingbet's massive backing will be money well spent.

The deal begs two questions.

If Sportingbet can afford £75,000 on one young lady to take its financial commitment in Guernsey to a cool quarter-of-a-million over the next four years, then surely the rest of the Guernsey business world can up its commitment to help out cash-strapped island sport and recreation which, we should never forget, keeps kids off the streets, in so many cases teaches them wonderful principles and, not least, boosts their health and provides focus.

And secondly, what could £75k do to assist a talented young sprinter such as Roberts?

My guess is that at this stage it would guarantee little, if anything.

Not that Roberts is not talented, as she most certainly is.

But in her case it remains no more than potential and money cannot alter the way a young girl's body develops, which in the first instance is often the key to the progress of all sports-loving boys and girls.

But all the bank notes in the world can't top the key ingredient – HUNGER.

No matter how old you are, how big the financial backing, if you lack or lose the hunger to get to the top, the game is virtually up.

WHAT of squash?

The game that has brought Guernsey more sporting success than any in the last three decades, is carrying all the hallmarks of having been constructively-dismissed from where it all grew – King's Club.

So sad, so unnecessary.

I recall a time when you could not get a squash court for love or money, such was its popularity 30 years ago.

But like indoor bowls and half-marathon running, the squash boom is well behind us and the Guernsey Squash Racquets Association has had to adapt accordingly, not helped by the modern owners' ethos and the gradual erosion of the wonderful family spirit which once existed at King's.

That slow demise of the club's sociable nature has not helped in maintaining player levels and a move to Beau Sejour is unlikely to bring a return to those heady days.