CTV: Get the balance right

NINE days after the annual CI sports personality of the year awards and the old blood pressure is only just settling down again.

But Thursday last left your correspondent irritated in the extreme, not only by the overall result of Channel Television's annual live sporting bonanza, but what I saw as the unfairness of it all.

Two things struck home:

One: how could what unfolded be a balanced reflection of Channel Islands sport? and

Two: the pressing need to ensure a fairer voting system which, on this occasion, allowed Jersey a winner in the form of bowler Tommy Greechan.

Now, 2011 is not so long in the past that it has disappeared from my increasingly short-term memory, but am I not right in thinking that it was a pretty special 12 months for Guernsey sport, topped off by a rampant showing at the NatWest Island Games in the Isle of Wight?

The biennial event is our Olympics, after all, and in our 'small world' sporting terms you cannot get bigger than that.

But of seven awards presented by CTV, Guernsey came home with just one win and a share of another.

The TV score read a painful: Jersey 5.5, Guernsey 1.5.

Fellow cynics will not be surprised on that front. History of the event – now 10 shows old, by the way – proves that Jersey have scooped the majority of the prizes most years. Guernsey never has enjoyed that upper hand.

The main public vote award scoreline may stand at 6-4 in the Greens' favour, but in every other category Jersey have more wins: Rising Star 5-2 with three joint awards; Coach 7-2; and Sporting Hero 7-2 with one joint award.

The score in the senior team-of-the-year category is 4-4, with two pan-CI winners.

Having sat at the judges table for half of the awards' history I know just how difficult it is to achieve some sort of balance and keep both islands happy, as well as the broadcaster.

And having analysed this year's winners, I can find no argument against the panel's decisions – outside of the CTV obsession for giving 'hero' awards to people based in the sister isle.

Having researched the event's history it did not surprise me to see that Guernsey has produced only three 'Sporting Heroes' – Colin Fallaize, Derek Webb and Dave Dorey – while eight have been unearthed down Jersey way.

The fault, possibly, is that CTV's Guernsey viewers have been apathetic in terms of making nominations for the 'hero' award, but nobody can tell me that we don't have a long list of them helping island sport enjoy its greatest era.

There are many: Alison Frankland and Jo Norman (swimming); Brian Le Cras and Peter Powell (table tennis); Paul Ingrouille, Bob Carre and Geoff King (athletics); Louis Laine, Henry Davey, 'Toots' Bush, Mike Thomas, Mark Le Tissier, Steve Dewsnip, Tony Smith, Dave Le Noury, Gordon Pagnier (football); John Mountford (basketball and cricket); Barry Robilliard (basketball); David Wray (hockey); Gill Queripel and Mary Jehan (netball); Adie Le Page (rugby); Graham Guilbert (boxing); Sue Naftel (badminton); Allan Renyard, Dave Harry and Gary Wallbridge (cycling); Ken Carre and Jan Coomer (equestrian); Roy Martel (golf and Island Games); Bill Cohu (motorsport); Brian Staples (rowing); and many more, no doubt. These are just some.

One wholly necessary future change to 'SPOTY' is to ensure that one island does not have more nominees than the other.

Although it might appear an indication of strength, when it occurs it does not work favourably for that island, as we saw this year.

Patriotism ensures that relatively few Sarnians vote for any Caesareans and vice versa, so when Jersey's larger population have only two contenders to back and Guernsey, with around 30,000 fewer voters, has its vote split three ways, the prospects of a Guernsey win take a dive.

Then there is the campaigning aspect to it all, which of course diminishes the event even further as a balanced contest.

But, of course, it is not a sporting contest.

It never was...