No repeat performance for La Grande Mare in Jersey

At the same venue where they won the Hampshire Sevens CI final of 2016, this time around hosts Royal Jersey proved too strong on their home track at Grouville, avenging that previous defeat with a 6-1 victory.

CJ Elmy was the only victor for LGM, as wins for Sam Crenan, Mat Hague, Sam Vautier, Chris Huelin, Paul Le Chevalier and Sam Jaakola earned RJGC a home quarter-final.

‘We’ve been beaten by a very good team today, we were well beaten in the end and I’ve no complaints,’ said LGM captain Phil Daunt.

‘We prepared well by coming here on Friday and we’ve had a cracking weekend despite the result.

‘We’ve had a lot of fun as well and it was good to be able to play young players like Tom Bruley and CJ Elmy and they both gave very good accounts of themselves.’

On a hot morning, the Royal got off to a promising start as Crenan birdied holes five and six to go 1 up only to be pegged back to all-square when Wayne Harwood won the seventh, where he received a shot.

Wins at eight, nine and 10 put Crenan in the driving seat before he ran out a 4 & 3 victor for his team’s first point.

Former Jersey cricket captain Hague, conceding two shots, made it 2-0 following a 5 & 4 success against Louis Sheppard.

Paul Le Chevalier, who was 5 up after seven holes, won the Royal’s third point, but there was an anxious wait for it as the former CI champion picked up an injury when he was 8 up with eight to play.

Tim Halden, receiving seven shots, won the next four holes before Le Chevalier clinched a 4 & 3 win at the par-three 15th.

Island champion Vautier won the match overall after winning the 17th hole, despite giving away a shot, for a 2 & 1 success against Bruley.

Huelin was 3 up after seven holes only to be pegged back to all-square by Dave Jeffrey.

Huelin moved two clear again at nine and wins at 16 and 17 left him a 3 & 1 winner.

There was never more than one hole difference, either way, between Harry Gibbon and Elmy and the Sarnian’s par on 17 secured the visitor a 2 & 1 success.

Sam Jaakola finished a 2 up victor against Orlando Abreu, who received seven shots.

Abreu thought he was defeated on the 17th green when Jaakola rolled in a 25ft putt

for birdie.

Abreu, much to the delight of his watching team-mates, then realised he was receiving a shot on the hole and downing a 10-footer himself for a nett birdie, he took the match to the 18th where Jaakola scored another birdie to win two-up.

‘It was a comfortable win in the end and more emphatic than I expected,’ said winning team captain Ian Daly.

‘La Grande Mare have

beaten us the last two times we’ve played them and we’ve played really, really well as a team today.

‘We’ve shown a great unity, we have good camaraderie and it’s brilliant to be Channel Islands champions again and we now look forward to a home quarter-final.’

RESULTS

(RJGC names first, handicaps in brackets)

Sam Crenan (1) beat Wayne Harwood (5) 4 & 3; Mat Hague (4) beat Louis Sheppard (6) 5 & 4; Sam Vautier (2) beat Tom Bruley (13) 2 & 1; Chris Huelin (4) beat Dave Jeffery (3) 3 & 1; Harry Gibbon (3) lost to CJ Elmy (3) 2 & 1; Paul Le Chevalier (2) beat Tim Halden (9) 4 & 3; Sam Jaakola (1) beat Orlando Abreu (10) 2 up.

Royal Jersey 6, La Grande Mare 1.