JERSEY Hockey retained inter-insular honours and ensured “The Big Stick” remains on island soil following another fiercely contested day of Channel Islands rivalry against Guernsey.
Six matches across the men’s and ladies’ sections once again produced drama and quality hockey, with Jersey ultimately doing enough to keep hold of the trophy in front of a strong home crowd at Les Quennevais and Claremont Field.
The men’s first team provided one of the standout performances of the day as they avenged last year’s defeat with a deserved 2-0 victory.
Player-coach Robbie Forrest opened the scoring in the first half, reacting quickest to tap home after a dangerous ball flashed across the face of goal.
Jersey controlled much of the contest and doubled their lead after the break when Barney Aston powered through the Guernsey defence before finishing into the bottom corner.
Aston scooped up Jersey’s player of the match award following an excellent individual display from the teenager.
Earlier in the day, Jersey’s men’s second team were held to a 1-1 draw in a closely fought contest. Tom Louwe broke the deadlock with an excellent drag-flick from a short corner, but Guernsey responded almost immediately from a penalty flick to ensure the sides shared the spoils.
The men’s third team produced the most emphatic result of the afternoon with a dominant 8-0 victory. Jake Le Boutillier and Ollie Ferguson both scored twice, while Hugo Gomersall, Sascha Benson-Cooper, Arnou Helmholt-Kneisel and Mike James also found the net in a commanding performance.
Jersey’s ladies also played their part in securing overall honours.
The first-team encounter ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Emma Bower opened the scoring from a short corner before Guernsey quickly replied.
Izzy Heelis restored Jersey’s lead during an electric first half, but the visitors struck again before the interval to ensure the contest finished level despite sustained Jersey pressure late on.
Jersey’s ladies’ third team secured a convincing 3-0 win thanks to goals from Bethannie Wood, Farrah Firby and Helen Maletroit, while the second team also retained their trophy with Holly Stearn and Lucinda Gouveia among the scorers in a 2-2 stalemate.
With strong performances across all six fixtures, Jersey once again ensured that “The Big Stick” remains firmly in the clubhouse at Les Quennevais.
