A combined Guernsey Schools side took the honours in this prestigious tournament – an undoubted highlight on the secondary schools’ sporting calendar – putting on a superb performance to beat last year’s winners De La Salle 29-0 in the final at Jersey RFC.
But while there are sure to be murmurs that Guernsey has a big advantage in selecting an island-wide squad to face individual Jersey schools, it has also to be recognised that the standards are rising throughout. And the man behind the competition, who has pumped in thousands of pounds to benefit the various schools by way of sporting vouchers, would like to see its scope expand further.
1 Guernsey Schools (Lord Jersey Cup)
2 De La Salle
3 Victoria College (Lord Jersey Shield)
4 Le Rocquier
5 Haute Vallée (Lord Jersey Bowl)
6 Les Quennevais
7 Hautlieu (Lord Jersey Plate)
Group A: 1, Guernsey (on points difference); 2, Victoria College; 3, Les Quennevais; 4, Hautlieu.
Group B: 1, De La Salle; 2, Le Rocquier; 3, Haute Vallée.
Referees: Bob Le Brocq; Geoff Nott; Piers Tharne.
The Earl of Jersey, William Villiers, after picking Guernsey’s Alfie Penney as the outstanding player of the final, said of the tournament that bears his name: ‘It’s been really good again this year and the weather helped in producing powerful running rugby, which is always good to see, particularly from this age group.
‘What I’ve noticed is that, from when we started, the gap in ability between the teams has decreased dramatically. It’s encouraging to see tight-fought matches. Guernsey were well drilled and although they had a lot of good individuals, you could tell they were a real team with excellent communication. So congratulations to them.
‘I’m hopeful that over the next few years we can get a French team or a UK side to join the competition; travel is a problem as its not inexpensive, of course, so you have to make it worth their while. But we’ll see, maybe get a side over on the ferry.
‘But it is the chaps on the field who have made the competition what it is today – all I did was provide a cup and an opportunity – the passion these guys show on the pitch is tremendous and if it is seen as one of the sporting highlights of the year, then that is very gratifying.’
Guernsey’s toughest test in winning the competition for the second time was undoubtedly in the group stages when they drew 0-0 with Victoria College, who will doubtless rue several missed conversions in the other matches as they missed out on the final by just a couple of points, though they did go on to win the Shield and take third place overall. Like Guernsey, Victoria went through the day without conceding a try.
Guernsey rugby development officer Steve Melbourne was understandably delighted with his side’s showing, saying: ‘This is a very special group of players – and they stepped up to the mark today. To bring together the combined schools, with four of the five represented, facing teams that play together week-in, week-out, and then go through the entire competition without conceding a single point was a great achievement – from both the players and the coaches. They are a very talented group.’
Guernsey’s try scorers in the final were full-back Will Mason (two), right winger Toby Meller (two) and Cory Wallace, with Leon Collenett drop-kicking two conversions in the 30-minute final.
For De La Salle, Brodie Sutton, Ben Henman, Dom Henstridge, Ben Chadwick and Joe Tilstone had a particularly good day, but the Sarnians were, indeed, excellent on the day and fully deserved their victory.
Competition organiser David Felton, the Jersey RDO, introduced JRFC professionals Alex Rae, David Bishop and Ryan Glynn to help present the prizes alongside Lord Jersey in the Jersey RFC marquee. Deutsche Bank provided trophies for the Shield, Bowl and Plate competitions.
De La Salle squad: Oliver Ashbolt, Fraser George, Brodie Sutton, Ben Henman, Joe Davidson, Jamie Howarth, Chris Thompson, Alex Hill, Dom Henstridge, Ben Chadwick, Fraser Armstrong, Joe Tilstone, Zach Boudin, Gregor Paton, Max Smale, Nick Baker, Jake Evans, Charlie Sloan, Ethan Ludlowe, Sam Masefield and Ben Vivian. Coach: Paul Rodgers.
