Swimming: Pollard sets 100m butterfly record as Jersey regain cup

The 50 races were competed in just under two hours with the only record going to Jersey’s Olivia Pollard when she touched home first in the girls’ 16-and-over 100 metres butterfly in a time of one minute and 4.75 seconds to beat Guernsey’s Courtney Butcher by almost 3½ seconds. This was a manually-timed record as there were problems with the electronic timing system.

Jersey, who 19 individual and ten relays, won by 229 points to 190 overall but it was Guernsey who got off a flying start winning the first three races to lead 16-9 but following ten races, individual and relays, the hosts had nudged ahead 34-26.

Two relays in the opening stages won by Jersey were exceptionally close with .20 of a second wins for the girls 12-13 years and the boys 16 and over both 200 medleys.

Jersey's Hannah Moore, racing in the girls' 11-years-old-and-under 100 metre breaststrokeGuernsey's Max Gill

Elissa Polak and Garth Jackson both overcame deficits in the final legs to secure victory for Tara Box, Rhian Murphy and Francesca Stubbings and Harry Shalamon, Tom Cairns and Cameron Swart respectively.

Jersey coach Nathan Jégou said: ‘The trophy has alternated now for the last five or six years and the challenge now is to go to Guernsey next year and break that cycle.

‘We had a few seniors missing today and a lot of new youngsters so overall it was a pretty good performance and to win by that margin was pleasing in the end.

‘Joe Storey is only just ten and it was good to see him competing in the relays winning one and his team just being pipped at the finish in the other.

‘We swum the Arena League last night (Friday), it was a late night so some of the swimmers will have been tired today as well.

‘We’re only four or five weeks into the season and I think a lot of our swimmers have performed better than they would have thought so that is good.

‘The trophy has alternated between the islands now for the last five or six years . . . the challenge now is to go to Guernsey next year and break that cycle’

Jersey coach Nathan Jégou

‘It’s been a fine team effort; it’s post-Island Games year and some have also been to Samao, so it’s always difficult to see who is still around and what they want to do.’

Guernsey SC coach Caroline Wakeford said: ‘I’m very pleased; we’ve got some very tired swimmers now as many of them have taken part in all the individual events and their relays.

‘There have been lots of fine performances in what is an excellent team event.

‘Ben Lowndes, Courtney Butcher, Annalise Munro, Laura Le Cras and Sophie de la Mare have all been outstanding; especially Laura and Sophie who were competing a year below and therefore will be in the same age group next year.’

The head-to-head competition comprised two swimmers from each island swimming the individual races while relays were two teams of four with four points awarded to the winners and one for the runners-up.

In the individual races, four points were awarded to a race winner, three to a runner-up, two to a third-placed swimmer and one for fourth.

Jersey extended their lead to 20 points after 20 races and after 30 they had opened up a 41-point gap before moving to 43 points ahead with ten races remaining.

Jersey's Issac Dodds, just about to rear his head above waterGuernsey's John WelbourneIssac Dodds

Guernsey finished strong with some classy wins in the closing relays, but Jersey best was left for the last race when a fine last leg by Harry Shalamon gained the boys 16-and-over 200m freestyle team of Garth Jackson, Cameron Swart and Tom Cairns victory by just under a second.

Jackson and Swart were also involved in the closest race of the gala when a blanket finish resulted in Jackson winning the boys 16 and over 100m freestyle in 54.82 seconds from Guernsey’s Ben Lowndes (54.86), Guernsey’s Matt Girard (54.87) and Swart (55.04).

Earlier Jersey’s Hannah Moors and team-mate Emilie Whitewood finished in a dead heat in the girls 11-and-under 50m butterfly in a time of 37.26 seconds.

Whitehead, Francesca Stubbings, Jack Allen and Cameron Polak all won two races in their respective age groups while the leading overall Jersey swimmer with four individual wins was Nathan Cameron in the boys 14-15 age group.

Long distance swimmer Wendy Tréhiou, a vice president of the Jersey Amateur Swimming Association, presented the Governors’ Cup and mementoes to the winning team.

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