The first two days of this bowls jamboree are devoted to the British championships, and it has been proved that Jersey’s champions at singles, pairs, triples and fours can mix it with the best of British at individual events.
But, with the best will in the world, the pressure of compiling a six-rink team – comprising 24 players – to compete in the home international series leaves Jersey vulnerable across the green.
This is particularly true when they come up against the likes of Wales and Scotland, as they did yesterday, because those nations have many more players to choose from – and have developed strong squads over the years.
There was no dishonour in defeat – and the Jersey players, who played their hearts out, need not be too despondent, because, even if they lose to England this morning, they can save face against Ireland this afternoon.
The Irish find themselves in much the same position as Jersey, with fewer players than the Big Three, and, to be honest, find it a strain fielding a team who are expected to pay their own way to the series.
And Jersey have managed to find a ay to beat the Irish, keeping themselves off the bottom of the table for three of the past four years.
Yesterday morning, Jersey made a game of it on four of the six rinks, most of the damage being done on the end rinks, where the rinks skipped by Joan Renouf and Karina Bisson lost by 26 shots between them.
Liz Cole lost by nine to Wales’s rising star Kathy Pearce, while Suzie Dingle went down to the legendary Betty Morgan by seven, and Margaret Breen lost to Stella Oliver by four shots.
That left Sue Noel, helped by Carol Woodley, Tracey O’Connor and Gean O’Neill to return Jersey’s best card – a creditable 15-15 tie with Ann Lewis, as Wales powered to a 125-79 victory.
Things did not improve after lunch, when Scotland steamrollered to a 132-67 victory, winning on all six rinks, thanks to a storming second half performance.
This time it was the rinks skipped by Renouf and Breen that returned Jersey’s best cards, the former losing by five shots (23-18), and the latter by six (19-13).
Rinks skipped by Bisson went down by eight (22-14), Dingle and Noel by 13 apiece and Cole by 20.
Bowlers will know that those results are hardly humiliating in themselves, but when the losses are added up across the green, the two defeats make for rather dismal reading.
The hope is the Islanders are saving themselves for the assault against Ireland this afternoon.
