The Greens maintained a great record against several significantly larger nations at the eight-ball tournament before losing the final to the Isle of Wight A, who beat them 11-6 to cap off an unbeaten run.
Guernsey also had a few individual players progressing through the singles rounds at Jersey’s Planet Pool and Snooker, most notably Charlton Gauvain making the quarter-finals.
But this team result proved a firm highlight, even more impressive given that the Guernsey Pool Association only re-launched this summer after a long break and players are still adapting to new international rules.
‘This was an unbelievably strong performance from my team,’ captain James Le Cras said.
‘I’m so proud of these boys.
‘They each showed a lot of guts and passion out there and they all played smart too, as I knew they could. It was a joy to watch and it leaves us all excited for the future.’
Going into the three-day team competition not knowing what to expect, Guernsey could take a lot of confidence from their resounding 8-0 victory over Portugal B in the opening match.
Guernsey drew one and lost one on the remainder of the first day.
The following day, they suffered a battling 8-4 loss in an important clash against Jersey A, which doubled as an inter-insular.
But Guernsey bounced back in a manner nothing short of impressive. They achieved great wins over Jersey B, Isle of Wight B and Yeovil A to finish in the top three of the league table.
For their quarter-final on day three, they exacted revenge against Jersey, knocking them out with a reversal of that 8-4 scoreline.
They were pushed harder in their semi-final against Portugal, but they squeezed through 8-6.
However, facing a very strong IOW team in an extended 11-frame final, they fell behind and were unable to close the gap.
‘It’s never nice to lose a final, but what stays with us is huge pride and satisfaction in how much we achieved this week,’ Le Cras added.
IOW also took the singles honours on day four via Jake Larkins.
Although his island could not repeat their feats of the previous three days, Guernsey FC’s Charlton Gauvain managed to make the quarter-finals.
Experienced players Miles Plumley and James Kirk both made the last 16 but progressed no further.
Le Cras described the overall standard as ‘hugely impressive’ and reiterated just how well his island had done off a short build-up.
‘Coming into the championship, we had only a short time to get organised under a new committee.
‘I think our performance shows exactly what a lot of local players already know – Guernsey has huge strength in depth and there’s a lot more where this came from.
‘Jarod [Carrington], one of our youngest players, had barely played any pool just two years ago.
‘He not only earned his place in the side above dozens of league regulars, but made a big contribution to our success this week.
‘It just shows what’s possible.’
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