Home support ‘huge’ as Greens look to win back inter-insular trophies

Jersey will be defending both first-team trophies at Footes Lane after their women won a 5-4 thriller last year while their men’s side emerged 3-0 victors at Les Quennevais.

Guernsey men’s team coach Ed Benfield wants his side to ride the wave of support in their quest to regain the silverware.

‘The home crowd is going to be huge for us. Hopefully we will have a lot of people down there watching and we are going to use that energy to get us through the game,’ he said.

Guernsey are coming off the back of an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Ashford in the EH Tier Two Plate quarter-finals a fortnight ago, but their coach took plenty of positives from the game, which ended 3-3 in regulation time.

‘We played really well,’ Benfield said.

‘Having only played once in 11 months, we just did not have that match nous to close it out, which was disappointing, but we did create a lot of chances and hopefully we will stick them away on Saturday.’

Guernsey welcome back captain Jonny Clark as well as forward Josh Kendal, who both missed the Ashford tie, in what is virtually a full-strength squad that will see several faces making their full inter-insular debut such as Hugo Le Clerc, Josh Barrett, Will Mansell and Isaac Eyton-Jones along with Island cricketer Tom Nightingale.

‘We have got our captain back, which will be a big boost for the team, and it is a good, young squad,’ Benfield said.

‘It’s been great to coach them, they are all really willing to learn and implement what we are doing in training into practice in matches.

‘If we play well, we can beat anyone and hopefully we will put it all together on Saturday.’

The Guernsey women’s first XI squad are missing some regulars through a variety or reasons, but they welcome back Becky McAllister and Mia Lloyd-Jones after they missed the national knockout clash with Knole Park last month in which the Sarnians impressed in defeat.

TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE

First-team matches

Women (1.45pm, FL)

Guernsey: Lucy Waldrom (captain), Emma Atkinson (GK), Katherine Bushell, Micky Byrom, Ellen Castleman, Charlotte Griggs, Mia Lloyd-Jones, Vicky Mann, Becky McAllister, Caryn Rieger-Vorster, Teya Sheppard, Lucy Slimm, Wilmari Smit, Holly Stubbert-Malley, Ellie Tanguy, Gemma Underwood.

Jersey: Aimee Aikenhead, Emma Bower (captain), Amy Guthrie, Eve Anthoine, Hannah Scriven, Harley Cadoret, Jess Watling, Kerry Rogers, Molly McKeon, Neve Macken, Olivia Labesse, Tallulah Spry, Lisa Grant, Chrissie Helmholt-Kneisel, Trudy Dillon-Nugent, Grace Fudge.

Men (3.30pm, FL)

Guernsey: James Ball, Josh Barrett, Dan Cameron, Tom Cashin, Jonny Clark (captain), Zak Damarell, Sean Donaldson, Isaac Eyton-Jones, Tom Judd (GK), Josh Kendal, Hugo Le Clerc, George Le Roux, Will Mansell, Tom Nightingale, Adie Peacegood, Matt Stokes.

Jersey: Anthony Davies, Joel Dudley, Barney Aston, Ed Hodgson, Nick Pearce, Tom Bolton, Alex Anthoine, Peter Millar, Anthony Kay, Tom Millar (captain), Sam Habin, Chris Thomas, Tiaan Kruger, Ben Heelis, Tom Sibley (player/coach).

Other Guernsey squads

Men

Seconds (Noon, FL)

Carl Pugh (captain), Jack Birch, Max Culverwell, Louis Day (GK), Nick Dyson, Alex English, Steve Eulenkamp, Will Mansell, Henry Meadows, Jay Piset, Tim Ravenscroft, Max Sharpe, Louis Steyn, Jake Taylor, Steve Waldrom, Andy Whalley.

Thirds (11.15am, MF)

Damian Wallen (captain), Boris Bousfield, Dan Brittain, James England, Dan Friend (GK), Ryan Gilson, Jonathon Guille, Oliver Honeyman, Romario Paulo Jardim-Marques, Adam Kitching, Sandy Lawson, Chris Lindsay, Ollie Mansell, Josh Noyon, Harry Ruddy, Toby Smith.

Women

Seconds (10.30am, FL)

Sophie Warren (captain), Ellen Castleman, Danni Cluett, Jan Courtney, Juzy Curtis, Elyse Dandeker, Liz Dudin, Becky Hambleton, Nicole Hewlett-Domaille, Georgie Le Tocq, Mia Lloyd-Jones, Jenny Mahe, Martha Nuttall, Katie Smith, Genevieve Swainston (GK), Ellie Tanguy.

Thirds (9.30am, MF)

Kath Guille (captain), Fiona Beeston, Jules Bousfield, Sophie Brooks, Jen Chalker, Summer Chamberlain, Poppy Elliott, Sophia Findlay (GK), Chloe Gibson, Amy Peacegood, Jess Peacegood, Helen Richardson, Bea Rowe, Zoe Stringman, Suzie Tee, Megan Wheating.