Mahy fights back from the brink to keep title retention hopes alive

THE defending champion lives to fight another day.

So many cliches could be used to describe Steve Mahy's remarkable victory over Daniel Griggs in last night's Men's Island Championship quarter-finals, with 'a game of two halves' and 'playing your get out of jail free card' two that immediately sprung to mind as the current title holder sunk a short par putt on the last to seal his place in the last four.

Seldom has the golfing term 'the turn' been more apt because strolling across La Jaonneuse Road after completing the front nine, Griggs was 4 up and seemingly cruising into the semi-finals.

Five holes later, he was trailing and was never to gain parity again.

In the bottom half of the draw, a Danny is guaranteed to be in the final with Bisson facing Blondel tonight for that privilege.

Bisson took the shot of the evening honours as he holed out for eagle with a nine iron on the fifth on his way to a 4 & 3 win over Dave Jeffery while Blondel also beat a La Grande Mare opponent, comfortably seeing off young CJ Elmy in 14 holes.

• Full report in Friday's Guernsey Press.