Offer to help save Le Quesne match is rebuffed

Last week it was reported that Jersey had cancelled their flights for Saturday's inter-insular after a 'misunderstanding' over the cost of return travel.

They wrongly believed that the £63 they had been quoted was a return fare with Blue Islands, rather than a one-way trip – meaning the total cost per competitor was £126.

However, after hearing the news, new Condor Ferries chief executive officer Paul Luxon contacted Bowls Jersey to offer them a lifeline.

'It seemed such a pity that on the back of a misjudgement on the cost of the flights, the event should be cancelled,' he said.

'I suggested to the Jersey and Guernsey bowls associations that if they continued with the plane charter in the morning, we were prepared to get them back and I reserved space for 40 of them for a very small cost.'

That cost would have been £10 per person, but despite only that small increase on their original £63 budget, Bowls Jersey have – as of yesterday – refused the offer.

Despite their announcement that they would not be travelling being made just a week ago, Bowls Jersey president Greg Davis has said that player unavailability is the reason for their stance.

'Blue Islands were still able to offer the charter across in the morning, but the fixture has been cancelled for nearly a week now and players from both islands have unfortunately made other plans, so it remains in jeopardy,' he said.

'The victorious British Isles Championships team recently paid £75 return for flights to Liverpool and hired a car for five days for less than £126 overall.'

• More in Thursday’s Guernsey Press.