New record medal haul guaranteed
AHEAD of Fantastic Friday, we had Thrilling Thursday.
As if what had gone before had not been memorable, Guernsey enjoyed their most successful day yet at the Island Games yesterday with 11 golds added to the table-toppers’ tally, while in terms of total medals, the host island are now just two short of their best-ever Games haul of 128 achieved here 20 years ago.
With several final places already booked, that record will fall today.
Among the successes yesterday was a piece of family history for the Merriens as husband faced wife in the indoor bowls open singles final, with Alison emerging victorious over Ian.
Guernsey made it a clean sweep of bowls titles this week thanks to Josh Bonsall and Bradley Le Noury’s open pairs triumph in another all-local final.
Also last evening, the swim team completed their programme with three more golds with Ronny Hallett, Orla Rabey and the women’s 4x100m medley team reaching the top step of the podium.
‘I feel like, this Games, Guernsey have really upped their game and they’ve just shown in the pool what they can do and having the home crowd supporting us and cheering us all the way has really helped,’ said team co-captain Tatiana Tostevin.
‘We’ve done really well this Games. I’m really proud.’
Tara Leighton-Dyson continued her winning run in shooting, adding individual gold in the 25m sport pistol as well as team gold with Nikki Trebert, while another female pairing, Alice Edwards and Dawn Morgan, came out on top in the women’s doubles table tennis.
There were golden girls at the L’Ancresse mountain biking cross-country, too, with Guernsey taking the women’s team award and on the Footes Lane track where Rhiannon Dowinton successfully defended her 100m hurdles title.
Meanwhile, out in the Little Russel, Andy Bridgman clinched sailing gold in the ILCA 7 class.
Heading into the final day of competition today, there are good Sarnian chances in a variety of sports including golf from where the leading local player Jamie Blondel surely spoke for the all of Team Guernsey when he said: ‘It’s just that whole Island Games atmosphere really – you try to jump on the back of and go with it.’
Reports, pictures and interviews in today's Guernsey Press
