GRL on cloud nine but it's agony for Raiders

Guernsey certainly had plenty to celebrate on Centenary Siam Cup day as the Raiders Ladies made it nine wins in a row thanks to a 46-7 success after the home veterans had regained the Nash Cup 55-19.

However, in the first Siam Cup played under floodlights enjoyed by a crowd of thousands, the home side suffered the agony of a one-point defeat as Jersey Reds lifted the prestigious trophy as 14-13 winners.

Guernsey’s director of rugby Jordan Reynolds felt the visitors got their just rewards, though.

‘We definitely did not deserve to win and if we had snuck it at the end I’d still be saying the same thing. We were second best today,’ he said.

‘It was going to come down to small margins. From us, it’s really difficult to turn around and criticise the boys. They put the effort in, we just made mistakes.

‘We are obviously disappointed, I know the boys will feel like they have let everyone down, but we can only do what we can do. We didn’t win the game so we’ve just got to move on.’

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2021 SIAM CUP:

Jersey coach Myles Landick called it a ‘great game, really an even contest throughout’.

‘Any win in Guernsey you’ll take, won’t you?’ he said.

‘I think the last couple of years, we haven’t deserved to win the game. This year, we definitely deserved to win the game.

‘The heart, the grit, the determination, our defence won us that game.’

Earlier, there was no disguising GRL captain Kayleigh Oliver’s delight after her side had run in eight tries to clinch victory.

‘There’s been obviously quite a bit of pressure because obviously the Ladies haven’t lost one in about eight years, so to get this one today means everything. I’m just so happy,’ she said.

‘We had no idea what Jersey were going to be like really, so we all knew we just had to go out and play our best game and deal with them on the day obviously.

‘I think every single girl on the team put their absolute all in it to get that win.’

• Match reports in Monday's Guernsey Press.