Jersey look to the future after inter-insular

GUERNSEY reigned supreme over Jersey in the 2025 Padel inter-insular with a commanding 47–17 victory to lift the Corcuera Cup.

While the Sarnians controlled proceedings on home soil, Jersey’s padel contingent still produced moments of promise at the fifth edition of the event.

Natasha Forrest was Jersey’s stand-out performer as the 24-year-old scooped the Most Valuable Player award in her inaugural Padel inter-insular.

Forrest and her partner, Claire Clarke, won all four of their matches as top seeds in the Ladies’ Open category, the only Jersey pairing to do so.

The only other Ladies’ pair to win a match were number three seeds, Sonia Smith and Gabby De Cordova. Their win came against Guernsey’s fourth seeds.

Jersey struggled in the Ladies’ Vets category as they were whitewashed 16–0. The top seed pair of Jo Barnes and Emma Sterry battled bravely, pushing Guernsey’s second and third seeds to a third and final set, but ultimately fell short.

Jersey have enjoyed success in the men’s division in previous years, but this contest was a tighter affair. Jersey managed just six victories from 16 in the Open category, highlighted by Scott Clayton and Aaron Higgins, who impressed with three wins from four as the Island’s top seeds.

Clayton continued his excellent form from his recent success, winning the Croatian national padel tournament with Bero Bobus.

Seed three, Tom Middleton and Luis Zamora, contributed with a double of their own, notably toppling Guernsey’s second seed in a third set. The other victory came in a fourth-seed showdown where Reuben Legge and Alan Singh won on a tie-break.

The Men’s Vets produced a resilient display against a strong Guernsey side. Top pairing Morgan Jubb and Ian Furness led from the front, winning three of their four matches to set the tone. Dave Lawrenson and Craig Stewart also stepped up at a crucial stage, securing two vital victories to keep Jersey’s hopes alive.

However, Guernsey’s strength at first and third seed ultimately proved decisive, guiding them to a 10–6 overall win. Jersey’s other success came courtesy of Jose De Cordova and Pete De Momme, who claimed a straight-sets victory.

Guernsey’s advantage comes from having padel courts introduced to their island a few years before the St Clement’s courts opening. Nonetheless, Jersey are keen to integrate the younger generation into the senior teams.

Carey Olsen have stepped in to sponsor weekly Under-18 junior development sessions, part of preparations for the inaugural junior padel inter-insular, set for October.

Jersey player, Sonia Smith, said she was optimistic about the island’s padel future: “All of the junior activity is starting to kick off, which is really exciting. We got our courts a little later than Guernsey, but give it a few years and we’ll have some really strong 20-year-olds.”

Smith also paid tribute to event sponsor Rathbones for their support: “We couldn’t do it without Rathbones. The event was brilliant, the atmosphere was amazing, and everyone had a really fun time.”

Jersey Squad:

Men’s Open: