Travel cancellations caused by fog and mechanical issues jeopardised both the Junior and Senior Men’s Inter-Insulars when the Sarnians were stuck here on Friday having been due to fly to Jersey for their practice rounds later that day.
Instead, the team management were left scrambling trying to find alternative transport in order to make their Saturday fourballs tee times.
Help was at hand and the Guernsey U18s and O55s made the voyage by sea on Saturday morning with minimal delays to the start time, which was a victory in itself, but their chances had been hindered by the uncertainty and lack of time on the course to prepare.
Considering the circumstances, the Greens acquitted themselves admirably in the matches.
Island junior champion Josh Neville led by example as he claimed two points from two over the weekend, joining forces with Lewis Blondel to win Guernsey’s only full point in the fourballs as they edged out Ben Carnegie-Bedlow and Yiannis Sokrati before he took out Rafa Leonard in the Sunday singles.
Sussex junior champion Ollie Farmer also went through the weekend unbeaten for the Sarnians.
He and Lewis O’Brien took half a point from the anchor match in the fourballs against Jacob Townsend and Oliver Bourke before Farmer went up against Townsend, who is in the full Jersey side for the upcoming Men’s Inter-Insular, in the lead-off singles rubber and defeated the home player 2 & 1.
The ever-improving Gus Carre, who was the only member of the Guernsey team in his final year in the age-group, won his singles in very convincing fashion as he required only 13 holes to see off Bertie Lee while Felix Marshall added another point in the anchor match as he claimed an impressive 3 & 2 victory over Sokrati.
Meanwhile, the Guernsey senior also trailed 3.5-1.5 after the opening fourballs, although it could have been much closer.
Tim Halden and Arthur Evans proved to be a winning combination as they beat Steven Bowen and George Keen while the Eggo brothers Bobby and Andy were denied a full point by a remarkable hole-out from Phil Evans as he and Grant McGregor snatched a half.
The fast start the Sarnians needed the next morning did not materialise, though, with Jersey winning the first five singles matches.
Neil Tanguy broke that run with a 4 & 3 success over McGregor and Jeff Domaille was a 2 & 1 winner over Kean while Mick Marley added a half from his tie with Bowen, but the hosts claimed the final two points to complete a seven-point margin of victory.
‘After the travel delay – we got mucked around by Aurigny – we eventually got there and without a practice session, it’s always going to be hard playing La Moye,’ said Guernsey senior men’s team manager Dave Jeffery.
‘We were up early Friday, flight cancelled, up early again Saturday, got there with no practice round, rushed to the first tee and play. Then obviously, you’re out for dinner quite late on Saturday night and then up early again Sunday morning. So it is tiring when you’re away from home.
‘But the guys did really well and with half-an-hour to go on Saturday’s fourballs, we were projected 3-2 to Guernsey but, that normal away-from-home inter-insular thing, the last three or four holes, we ended up losing more than we won – and Phil Evans pitched in from about 40 yards on 18, having taken a penalty drop, for a par to force the half against the two Eggos, which again, that’s a half point when that looked like being a whole point.
‘We knew they were a strong team – but 11-4 overall doesn’t really tell the story. Again, a couple of singles were pretty tight with three or four to play and we just fell away. So I think the whole team played well, but it’s a very strong Jersey side at a course we’re probably not that familiar with.’
