- Aland 2009 competitor secures second Games selection with playoff win at CTC.
- Five-strong women’s team for Jersey 2015 also revealed.
JAMES FAUDEMER stayed strong throughout his qualifying final to win the fifth and final place in Jersey’s NatWest Island Games tennis team on Saturday.
Playing Scott Weaver in the permanent bubble at the Caesarean club in Grands Vaux, the 23-year-old earned his second Games appearance six years after making his bow as an inexperienced teenager in Aland 2009.
Jersey 2015 tennis – Team Jersey
Men: Scott Clayton, James Connelly, Stuart Parker, Jeremy Cross, James Faudemer. Reserves: Scott Weaver, Max Vasiliou and Mike Watkins.
Ladies: Rebecca Edwards, Clare Clarke, Natasha Forrest, Eva Hurst, Katie Gouyette. Reserve: Kirsten McArthur.
With a lot of the match being played from the baseline Faudemer proved a little stronger and more accurate than his slightly younger opponent, who was hoping to repeat his feat of making the Jersey team for the last edition in Bermuda 2013.
Faudemer now joins an already qualified and experienced quartet to complete the men’s team for this summer’s home spectacular at the Caesarean: professional Scott Clayton; James Connelly (who won doubles gold with Clayton two years ago); Stuart Parker and former Island Games multiple singles champion Jeremy Cross.
Faudemer, who plans to run a marathon in a few weeks time before getting back into more conventional tennis training, said after his two-sets victory: ‘I’m delighted to make the Games team; a couple of months ago I wasn’t expecting to be in the running, but I picked up my tennis since and I’ve really enjoyed these play-off matches. I seem to thrive when it’s more competitive.
‘I’m running a marathon in a couple of weeks, but after that I’ll be back on the courts training hard with the guys. I think we’ve a strong team and can do really well this year.’
Aland 2009 mixed doubles silver medallist Kirsten McArthur has been named as a reserve for the women, who make a return to Games action after not sending a team to Bermuda. Isle of Wight 2011 singles quarter-finalist Katie Gouyette and 2009 quarter finalist Rebecca Edwards are joined by teenager Natasha Forrest, Clare Clarke and Eva Hurst.
