Pattimore gets the call-up

This year’s Island Championship runner-up Jeremy Nicolle has broken two metacarpals in his right hand following an accident while off-island and he has been replaced by his Guernsey 2023 Island Games teammate Tom Pattimore.

‘Jez got injured on holiday, but we’d originally named two reserves in Tom Pattimore and Arthur Evans,’ said Guernsey men’s team captain Dave Jeffery.

‘Tom’s the lower handicap, so he’s been brought into the team and Arthur’s now our reserve.

‘We actually picked the team on the Friday evening [16 August] and then, sod’s law, Saturday morning Tom goes out and shoots 68, so everyone was quick to tell me that.

‘But we know what we get with “Patty” and he’s perfectly capable to come in and replace Jez.’

As well as Pattimore, Jeffery has been pleased with the form of other members of the team in the last month or so after the first half of the season had largely been dominated by the exploits of CI men’s and junior champion Conor McKenna.

Jeffery used debutant Lewis Marley as the biggest example of how players can emerge from the pack to warrant selection.

‘Lewis, at the beginning of the year, probably wasn’t at the forefront of everyone’s mind, but he he definitely earned his place on merit.

‘Certainly through July and August he was the form player on island, so everyone agreed with his selection – it was quite an easy pick in terms of in terms of Lewis.

‘But they’re all playing well – “Biss” [Danny Bisson] won the L’Ancresse Open Scratch Salver back in back in August, obviously Jamie Blondel’s had a very good year getting down to plus three, Steve’s shown a bit of form – so they’re all there and we’re confident going into the weekend.’

Unsurprisingly, though, Jeffery is not underestimating the current holders and there is an eye-catching name among the Jersey side who will be defending the trophy in the reigning Island Games champion.

‘You look at their look at their team and, of course, we know they’ve got probably one standout player in Jo Hacker.

‘He’s available this year and he hasn’t been available for a fair few years with college in America, so we know what we get with him. He was obviously very good around here [L’Ancresse] in the Island Games, but one player doesn’t make a team, so we won’t change anything or do anything differently based on one player’s selection.’

Jeffery revealed that his players already know who they will be playing with in the Saturday foursomes and fourball sessions, but he is yet to decide on the order they will go out.

‘Obviously you’ve got to try and start well in the foursomes and build on that in the fourball and then hopefully means you don’t have to win too many of the singles going into Sunday,’ he said.

‘They hold the trophy, so that means they technically sort of start half a point up because a 10-all result means they’ll retain, but we try and start well Saturday morning and build on that.’

He emphasised, too, that home advantage in an inter-insular is ‘worth a lot’.

‘You’ve got to bear in mind that the Jersey guys probably maybe play this course twice a year at most, we’re playing it day in and day out, so we’ll make the most of home advantage – pin positions and what have you – and hopefully a lot of local support as well.

‘These games are often finely balanced and will be determined over the last couple of holes. In the past and last few years, we’ve done well over the last few holes here, and we see that when we go away, they do well over the last few holes.

‘Hopefully we get the same result that we have the last two times here.’

TEAMS

Guernsey: Conor McKenna, Daniel Griggs, Danny Bisson, Danny Blondel, Jamie Blondel, Jayden Tucknott, Lewis Marley, Steve Mahy, Tom Le Huray, Tom Pattimore. Reserve: Arthur Evans.

Jersey: Andy Clarke, James Draisey, Alex Guelpa, Jo Hacker, Charlie Kiberd, Josh Ozard, Matthew Parkman, Jeremy Phillips, Sam Quail, Kealan Quigg.

L’ANCRESSE LINKS hosts both the men’s and women’s inter-insulars this weekend. The foursomes will be on Saturday morning from 8am with the fourballs following on at 1.30pm. The singles get under way at 8am on Sunday.