The teenager has enjoyed a breakthrough summer and as well as claiming the Island boys’ title, he was crowned Royal Guernsey junior club champion, while in ‘open’ company he impressed with a 3.5-point average in the Island Team Scratch League for the Nomads among other good results.
‘Josh has more than earned his spot,’ said team manager Dave Jeffery.
‘He has played well pretty much all year, he has a good scoring average and obviously he won the Island Junior Championship, then played well in the Channel Islands boys’ final. We are also blooding him at home, which is good.
‘I have played with him a little bit and while he is not the longest hitter – that will come with age – he hits it straight and he is excellent with his chipping and putting. That is what you want in match-play.
‘He is a nice lad, too, so in terms of pairing him up it is not really an issue.’
The other notable inclusion is former Island champion Andy Eggo, who has joined the senior ranks this year having turned 55, which has given his golf a new lease of life.
‘It was obvious from the beginning of the year that he was trying to make a push for the team, he was always down the club practising, and his handicap has gone down from 2 to plus-1.1,’ Jeffery said.
‘He had a great scoring stretch in the middle part of the summer, he has done it all before, it does not matter that he is a senior – in the selectors’ eyes he has more than earned his spot.
‘Andy is also good in the team room and you could pair him with anyone.’
In all there are three changes from the side who retained the trophy with a remarkable 10-10 draw last year at Grouville having been whitewashed in the opening foursomes sessions, with the other returnee being a no-brainer in the newly-crowned Channel Islands champion Jeremy Nicolle, who was injured for much of 2025.
It also means that Jeffery will once again taking on a playing role.
‘We have a selection panel of three and I do not have a say if I am in the team, but from my point of view, my scoring average has been pretty good again this year.’
However, he did have to take on the tough part of the job and inform those who did not make the cut.
‘It was very difficult to get down to the team of 10. In previous years you tend to reel off seven or eight definites then debate the last couple of spots, but this time the meeting took nearly two hours – that’s how tough it was.
‘We look through set criteria such as the matchplay events, the Scratch League, the CI League weekend and the medal scoring in the bigger events and this year it was extremely hard – we have got plus-handicap players who have missed out.
‘Certainly informing Rory McKenna was one extremely difficult phone call – calling up a friend and a clubmate, someone off his handicap with his ability, to tell them they have not been selected is part of the job I really do not enjoy – but unfortunately his form has dipped towards the end of the season. He was obviously disappointed to miss out, but he accepted the decision.
‘It is just a sign of the strength we have got that guys who are scratch or plus-handicap golfers are not making the team, even with the likes of Conor [McKenna] and Jayden [Tucknott] unavailable because they have returned to their US colleges, and we have Jez coming back who is now our CI champion having been unavailable last year, so you could argue we are stronger than last year.’
Guernsey women’s team manager Angela Goddard has also named her side to face Jersey in their Inter-Insular and there is a return for both Chloes – Domaille and CI women’s champion Gaudion – as well as Sally Ingrouille who all missed out on last year’s clash with Jersey. More to follow.
Inter-Insular teams (to be played at L’Ancresse, 12-13 September)
Men
Guernsey: Danny Bisson, Danny Blondel, Jamie Blondel, Andy Eggo, Dave Jeffery (player-manager), Tom Le Huray, Lewis Marley, Jack Mitchell, Josh Neville, Jeremy Nicolle. Reserve: Sean Mills. Assistant manager: Wayne Harwood.
Jersey: Oliver Allchin, Andrew Clarke, Alex Guelpa, Charlie Kiberd, Josh Ozard, Matthew Parkman, Jeremy Phillips, Sam Quail, Jacob Townsend, Aiden Wilson. Captain: Mark Tostevin.
Women
Guernsey: Di Aitchison, Jennie Ballay, Mary Bate, Veronica Bougourd, Chloe Domaille, Chloe Gaudion, Bonny Hamilton, Sally Ingrouille, Lily McNeela, Mandy Webber. Reserve: Di Stenner. Manager: Angela Goddard. Assistant managers: Ronnie Casey and Kay Mapley.
Jersey: Lily Buckley, Chloe Cadoret, Suzy Cornic, Andrea Cunningham, Helen Gray, Abi Harris, Anabelle Lucas-Villar, Melissa McMahon, Gloria Paradiso, Hannah Scriven. Reserve: Sarah Le Boutillier. Captain: Nicola Mollin.
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