Personal bests are the target for every athlete

'A CHANGING of the guard' is how Guernsey's youthful-looking athletics team has been described ahead of these Island Games.

Those are the words of team manager Steve Allaway, who leads a team to Bermuda that is without star names including Dale Garland, Tom Druce, Lee Garland, Kylie Robilliard and Lee Merrien, all regular gold medal winners.

In their place is a 19-strong team, which may rise to 21 if Nikki Neal and Gail King run the half marathon after their triathlon commitments, with nine of that group making their Games debuts.

Of the teenagers on show, Sam Wallbridge hopes to make a big impression after his English Schools 400m hurdles win last weekend, while Katie Rowe is the standout name of the young female contingent.

While the Sarnians have been regular challengers at the top of the athletics medal table in previous Games, Allaway admits this is more of a step into the unknown.

'It is a young team we are taking and very much a developmental team, so whereas we have topped the medals table before, we are being much more realistic in our expectations here,' he said.

TEAM

Men: Josh Allaway, Michael Batiste, Glenn Etherington, Simon Murphy, Tristan Robilliard, Hywel Robinson, James Sermon, Tom Swain, Sam Wallbridge, Ben Wilen, Mike Wilesmith.

Women: Zoe Fitch, Ali Higgins, Emma Le Conte, Hannah Lesbirel, Sarah Mercier, Katie Rowe, Sarah Waters, Natalie Whitty, Gail King (possible), Nikki Neal (possible).

Debutants: Murphy, Sermon, Swain, Wallbridge, Fitch, Higgins, Lesbirel, Rowe, Waters.