Eggo returns to the Guernsey fold
THE Guernsey women’s team captain will not be at their inter-insular at Grouville – because he will be making his comeback for the men’s side at L’Ancresse.
Ten days after naming his team to face Jersey in the Ravenscroft Ladies’ Inter-Insular, Andy Eggo was being picked for the Challenge Trophy, which will take place on 10-11 September – the same weekend, with the Greens looking to regain the silverware which the Reds won last year.
Eggo returns to face Jersey for the first time in five years having taken a hiatus from the sport.
‘We did not do an official order of merit this year because of the impact of Covid and people wanting to get away again, but I had worked out what it would have looked like and Andy was second, just a couple of points behind Danny [Blondel],’ said Guernsey men’s captain Dave Jeffery.
‘He was an Island Championship finalist this year and his scoring average was very good, he had put some very good scores in right from the off this season, and he is a good match-player.
‘He was a unanimous choice of the selectors.’
However, Guernsey’s ever-growing strength in depth meant that there were some big names who missed out, most notably recent L’Ancresse Open Scratch Salver winner Steve Mahy and Island Championship semi-finalist Rory McKenna.
‘It was really tough. The first seven or eight names everyone agreed on, then we chatted for over an hour for the last couple of spots,’ Jeffery said.
‘You are looking at scratch or one-handicap golfers missing out, which is a nice problem to have, but also not particularly nice calls to have to make.
‘Steve could not have got any closer to the side. Obviously his L’Ancresse Open [salver] win was a fantastic score and at the right time, playing with me, but over the course of the season we looked at other events and a couple of others had lower stroke averages.
‘Steve was disappointed, but he took the news how I would want him to take it and he is still fully supportive of the team.
‘Rory had a good run in the Island Championship, but perhaps due to his involvement with cadet shooting, his scores have been a little erratic and that level of consistency was not quite there.
‘There were pluses and minuses for everyone, but our job as selectors is to put a team out there who can get that trophy back and that is why we have picked this 10.’
Guernsey men’s team
Danny Blondel, Jamie Blondel, Ollie Chedhomme, Andy Eggo, CJ Elmy, Arthur Evans, Daniel Griggs, Tom Le Huray, Jeremy Nicolle, Tom Pattimore.
