Inter-insular blitz is a big wake-up call for Guernsey
IT USED to be rugby that was Guernsey's embarrassment in the annual review of inter-insular showdowns.
IT USED to be rugby that was Guernsey's embarrassment in the annual review of inter-insular showdowns.
But as the rugger men have got their act together and won some memorable Siam Cup triumphs in recent times, netball has replaced it as our No. 1 indignity.
Of course the netball fraternity will hate that notion, but if they look at their sport long and hard they should recognise that we are a considerable distance behind the only realistic barometer – Jersey.
Last weekend's 31-goal hammering and another year of almost complete Caesarean dominance across the age-groups should be the wake-up call Guernsey netball needs to kickstart it to the level that Jersey are at.
Netball's inter-insular stats for the past 20 years are depressing.
Jersey have won the last five after the Greens enjoyed a brief spell of first-team dominance at the start of the 'noughties'.
But at junior level the Caesarean dominance is painful and as for CI club netball honours, our successes are even rarer.
I do not have sufficient knowledge of the sport to pinpoint blame for this sorry situation, but it seems to me the entire sport needs to shape up and that there should be collective responsibility for the demise in playing levels of a great game.
There will be those who blame Nerine – formerly known as Rangers – for their complete domination of the domestic leagues.
But is it their fault that they are benefiting by being headed by the most powerful personality in island netball and, over a long period, the most dedicated and ambitious coach and administrator by a street? The name: Gill Queripel.
In watching my own daughter climb the letter scale in the Nerine alphabet of teams, I witnessed a club that is well organised and focused on success.
It seemed to me rival clubs lacked the ambition and desire to challenge them.
The advent of Super League has not improved the situation, only raised the skirt level and fashion stakes and enabled the game to be played in a more comfortable environment.
Super League has seen the best players shared around, but the setting up of quasi teams does not generate the passion that Jersey enjoy with the likes of Convent annually vying with St Clement and, now, St Lawrence in a 10-team Division One.
Jersey netball adopts a very aggressive approach to recruitment and development. You are either in or you are out.
The sport has enjoyed a full-time development officer for many years and they go into schools regularly.
'They are in your face all of the time,' said a source from the sister isle. It is a 12-months-of-the-year 'pushy' operation.
Netball is huge in the psyche of Jersey girls with a penchant for sport and there is a strong competition structure, which is topped off by tournaments with UK sides.
You have to be lean and fit to succeed down there. Places are not taken for granted. Players have to work for their places.
In contrast, Guernsey's top netballers are said to have taken part in a bleep test and groaned it was too hard.
There were no repeat tests or serious fitness regime in preparation for the big weekend, which must be fast becoming a turn-off for the Caesareans.
