Their unexpected National Inter-County Division III championship triumph, following a series of confidence-boosting results for the veterans and junior sides – plus the presence of new English national singles champion Elizabeth Cann – led skipper Ian Coombs- Goodfellow to proclaim this week: ‘I’d almost stake my life on us winning.’ While Jersey have beaten Guernsey in the team events of the Island Games and the 2002 Commonwealth Games they have not won the Gilson since 1977.
But for the first time in many years the Island side will be at full strength.
Cann, multi-Island Games gold medallist Kerry Coombs-Goodfellow and Lucy Burns return after missing last year when Guernsey won 19-11.
They are also likely to be joined by newcomer and former South African international Anton Kriel.
Selectors John Burn and Carmen Cann have named a squad of eight men and ten women, but won’t reveal their two six-strong teams until the morning of the match.
Said Burns today: ‘We know roughly what the teams will be but want to keep it up our sleeves.
A couple of players have got minor injuries but we’re confident they’ll be OK – basically we don’t want Guernsey to know our side!’ Full preview in today’s JEP.
