Sark comes 'second' against visiting MCC

SARK Cricket Club played host to the MCC at the Millennium Field.

The result, in the words of Sark CC's scorer, Vanessa Clarke, was that the island side 'came second' but, although I could not stay for the whole game, I'm certain that what was lacking in skill was more than made up for in enthusiasm and hospitality.

What is pleasing about this particular island team is that new faces seem to appear each season and the majority of them are young players, which hopefully bodes well for the future. Additionally, it's a tribute to their loyalty and enthusiasm - as well as some good employers - that, because this particular match took place on a Friday, most of those playing probably lost a day's pay.

Still, it's not every day young players get a chance to play an MCC side, so it's to be hoped that some of the visitors' talent and experience rubbed off.

This is the time of year when I generally run out of superlatives when trying to describe the quite extraordinary success of St Peter's Church Fair. Held for a few hours last Saturday afternoon, those involved - and there are many of them - managed to raise £3,074 for church funds, despite the less-than-perfect weather.

During the event, Seneschal Reg Guille formally thanked June Carre, who after 17 years of organising the fair has decided to take early retirement, although she told me that she still intends offering her services in future years as a helper.

The Seneschal also thanked Peter Carre for the work he has done in supporting his wife and June was later presented with a bouquet of flowers. On a personal note, I'd like to thank both of them for the reminders they kindly give me regarding church events and their willingness to answer questions about the church to which I really ought to know the answers.

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As I write - late on Wednesday morning - I have just heard that the Bournemouth Belle broke down on its way to Sark a few hours ago and was forced to return to St Peter Port with technical problems and 176 passengers on-board.

The vessel was brought into service recently because the Bon Marin is out of action - both its gearboxes have been returned to the manufacturer to have problems sorted out. Sark Shipping director Colin Smith told me that in addition to using their other passenger vessel, the Sark Venture, they managed to charter the Victor Hugo from Manche Iles and that took about 100 people to Sark.

As to the problems with the Bournemouth Belle, he said that they were resolved within a couple of hours and the vessel was expected to operate on scheduled services later in the day.

'Passengers were very understanding about the problem and those who decided against their journey to Sark were given a full refund,' said Colin.

For those planning to come here over this weekend - and, of course, for those already here - there will be plenty to do. Tomorrow sees Sark's first South Africa Day at the Millennium Field, with the very best in music and food from that beautiful country.

In the evening there's the Candles on the Creux event, when everyone will be hoping for nothing stronger than a very light breeze as the organisers hope to light 2,000 candles along the harbour in aid of Sark and Guernsey's emergency services.

On Sunday, there's the annual horse, dog and pet show in the customary field just before La Seigneurie and it will be interesting to see how many unusual creatures are entered this year.

* The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net