With the ten-strong Jersey side featuring seven members of the host club, home knowledge seemed to play a big part in a comfortable 16½ to 3½ victory – a huge improvement on the nerve-jangling 10½ to 9½ success at L’Ancresse, Guernsey, two years ago.
It’s the fourth time in a row Jersey have triumphed in the biennial competition, with no fewer than six of their team achieving 100 per cent results – the maximum three points. So take an extra-low bow Juanita Adlington, Virginia Austin-Walker, Abie Nance and Sheila Smith of the host club and Royal Jersey pair Hannah Scriven and Helen Lagadu. Smith was gaining her first inter-insular cap, along with Sue Langdon (2½ pts) and Annette Ramage, the latter sealing the final point of the day yesterday afternoon on the 18th, beating fellow rookie Bonnie Hamilton one-up.
Overall victory was confirmed in style with Sarah Le Boutilier’s 7&5 victory over Julie Creed.
Jersey had started the day in a tremendous position, having comfortably won the foursomes and the four-balls on Saturday, 4-1 in both, giving them a more than useful 8-2 cushion.
There had been some tight tussles, but only two Sarnian victories from ten matches (Di Aitchinson and Veronica Bourgourd in the foursomes and Aitchinson and Di Stenner in the afternoon’s fourballs).
Nothing there to inspire confidence for the visitors . . . and so it proved, with only two of the singles ties going down to the 18th. The sun really shone brightly on Jersey golf, with tremendous conditions bringing out good support over the two days.
Fresh from gaining her third point of the weekend, Virginia Austin-Walker, the president of the Jersey Ladies Golf Association, said: ‘Obviously delighted, the girls have all brought their game with them today. Some of the matches were quite tight on Saturday and could have gone either way … luckily they went Jersey’s way.
‘At this level having such a big lead [8-2 going into yesterday’s singles] makes it a lot easier. The Jersey team, being on a home course, do have the advantage – the fact that we have seven La Moye members playing helps, too.
‘Interestingly, although Hannah [Scriven] won all three of her games, the other Royal Jersey members probably found it tougher, with them having less knowledge of the the course.
‘It was a shame that we could not have played it last weekend, the same time as the men – that would have been exciting.
‘It’s a biennial competition mainly because of the cost of travel and doing alternative years with the Island Games. And the islands’ clubs do play a lot of matches against each other, so maybe doing it every year would be a bit too much of a muchness – our team does not tend to change as much as the men’s.
‘I shall have retired [as president] by the time the next one comes around and, unfortunately, we have no Island Games competition next year [in Gibraltar] so we may do something else.’
Jersey captain Corrine Ramskill said: ‘That was extremely gratifying. It was an excellent game of golf, with a very good result for Jersey. We were blessed with good weather, good golf and it was nice to see such good support. The three new caps all did well in fitting in the team – it was excellent all-round.
‘We’ll certainly look forward to Guernsey in two years time.’
