JERSEY have selected their eight players to travel to the Island Games in Guernsey this July.
Competing under a new organisation, headed Jersey Golf, the men’s and women’s arms of the sport are no longer separate, a move many see as an important step in the right direction for inclusivity and participation.
On the men’s side, 2021 Hampshire Champion Jo Hacker returns from Florida to join forces with the Royal Jersey trio of Steven Anderson, Josh Ozard and Matthew Parkman.
It will be Parkman’s fifth Island Games, while the remaining three will all be making their debuts this summer.
Jersey claimed the men’s team gold three consecutive times after its inception into the Games, but the wait for a fourth title is now 25 years.
Jersey Golf co-president Steven Bowen said: ‘Having both the men and women playing under the same organisation is hugely exciting for us.
‘The process was lengthy as we wanted to ensure that everything was done right and we are now in a position with a very strong committee in place to manage us through this fledgling period.
‘We have a brilliant opportunity to head over to Guernsey this summer and play at a venue in L’Ancresse, that we all know and love.
‘They [Guernsey] will be very strong around there, but we also think the four who have been chosen on the men’s side will be really competitive.
‘Jo [Hacker] is back from Florida for the summer and we all know what he brings to our team and our remaining three have been all very strong over the past couple of the years.’
For the women, their hopes are pinned on the Royal Jersey quartet of Flora Keites, Helen Lagadu, Anabelle Lucas-Villar and Hannah Scriven.
The stand-out is Keites, who collected individual silvers at both the 2015 and 2017 Island Games, before embarking on a successful university career in Liverpool.
Three of the team played in the 2017 Gotland Games, with 16-year-old Lucas-Villar the only debutante.
All in all the Island Games has proved a happy hunting ground for Jersey women.
They top the all-time leaderboard for wins on three, the most recent of which came in the home Games in 2015.
Co-president Juanita Adlington said: ‘Everyone is very excited to now be under one roof.
‘For our women I think it can only benefit and I think there is a lot the men can learn as to how we navigate around the course.
‘Three of the team were together for the last Games and to add Anabelle to the fold with her game in amazing shape is brilliant.
‘Playing in Guernsey is always fun and L’Ancresse is certainly a venue many Islanders have an appreciation for.
‘We are confident in the four who have been selected and there is a great harmony among them being all from the Royal Jersey.’
