Fourth place in Aland a terrific effort
FROM a thousand miles or so away from the action it is as clear as the Aland summer skies this week that, viewed as an entity, Guernsey's team has exceeded expectations.
FROM a thousand miles or so away from the action it is as clear as the Aland summer skies this week that, viewed as an entity, Guernsey's team has exceeded expectations.
Given the crazy absence of cycling and so many of our elite sports stars across several sports, placing fourth in the medals table is a terrific effort.
A fortnight ago I wrote we'd struggle to make the top six but as it turned out and, very largely due to the continued excellence of the swimming and track teams, it is another solid fourth.
Some aspects of the Games just don't add up, though.
I'm certain yours truly is not the only one who struggles to understand why an international event of this size and ethos chooses to threaten the use of drug tests - and that's what it was, a mere 'threat' as the testers have been invisible in Aland - while at the same time operating a tennis tournament with not a single chair umpire, let alone line judges.
That is plainly taking the friendly games tag one step too far.
Imagine football with no ref, volleyball with no net judges.
But while the focus has been on Aland, the domestic sports scene has ticked along with some eyebrow raising happenings on and around the cricket fields.
In Jersey, the new Marlborough Trust Optimists/Rovers super team, got clobbered for 407 in 45 overs.
There wasn't an OR 'superstar' in sight at the Farmers Ground in Jersey, Rovers producing just three young players for the trip and the ensuing carnage.
'Disappointing' is one word to describe it, 'abject' another when you consider the combined player lists of the two clubs.
A provisional island squad was also announced to tackle the likes of Bahrain, Botswana, Malaysia and Norway in host country Singapore at the World Division Six tournament.
It's a strong combination with the one obvious weakness, the lack of a top-class keeper.
Where have all the keepers gone?
The island is producing no end of quality young batsmen and, to a lesser extent, bowlers. But the keeping cupboard is worryingly empty now that Justin Ferbrache has quit.
It comes to something when, in reality, your next best gloveman after the unavailable Matt Oliver for WCD6 is 60-plus Micky Fooks, as good as the old master still is.
On the football front, the June transfer window closed quietly with Jonny Veron's return to Northfield the only significant change.
But where will they play him and, if so, who will be the one to drop out?
One of the best captures could be Rovers' new goalkeeper Richard Davey and defender Matt Patch.
Davey is an under-rated keeper and I'm rather surprised North, left exposed in this area, were not bending over backwards to keep him.
As for Patch if he can rediscover the form he was showing at Vale Rec before he succumbed to knee surgery, Rovers will look a far more solid outfit.
Finally, why is it we can't beat Jersey at football?
What have they got that we haven't?
Perhaps, Chris Tardif, the former pro. in goal for us in Aland, had part of the answer when he said we played the occasion rather than the team.
The 10-year inter-insular senior record including Murattis, replays and Island Games clashes, now stands at played 14, two Sarnian wins, nine defeats and two draws.
We have scored 13 goals in that time and seven times failed to hit the net.
Is it a mental thing which Tardif has hinted at or simply down to a shortage of quality in the final third of the pitch?
There is no shortage of honest endeavour but the inter-insular stats speak for themselves.
The camaraderie is excellent and yesterday's win over the Isle of Man is just reward for the squad's efforts in preparing for Aland.
Vance's men could not have worked harder of that I'm sure.
