Rose Ogier is the only member of the five-strong team to have previous Island Games bowling experience, which is unsurprising given the quite different nature of this year’s competition – it is the first to take place outdoors. The five previous editions have been indoors or ten-pin.
But Guernsey have moved past selection struggles to emerge with an experienced lawn bowls team, which is completed by Julie and Steve Williams, John Rihoy and Chris Dyer.
The members have collectively enjoyed numerous outings on the international stage, and although Julie Williams has less major competition experience, she too is a seasoned player.
Former Guernsey Bowls president Robin Herbert – who is currently treasurer – believes they have a shot at the medals.
‘It depends what other sides put out,’ Herbert said ahead of the five days’ competition at Kirkwall Bowling Club.
‘Rose I think has a chance of a medal and Steve has a chance of a medal. We have very good chances.
‘It very much depends on the weather, as it’s an outdoor event.
‘Apparently the green is very good. It comes down to what the local bowlers are like, as they and Shetland both have a very good chance and Jersey is the other big one.’
Guernsey will be represented across various events, including singles, pairs and triples, enhancing their medal hopes.
But it will be a very different event to the indoor competition at the 2023 home Games in which the hosts monopolised the gold medals, including Alison Merrien defeating her own husband Ian for singles glory.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.