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Channel Islands International Championships 2008

A host of Ladies and Gents teams from Guernsey, Jersey, Taunton, Somerset, Belgium and Portugal headed towards Jersey’s Planet Pool & Snooker this weekend to contest for the CI International Championships where teams and individuals would test their prowess on the tables. This tournament would also see the annual Guernsey v Jersey Inter-Insulars played.

All were in action on the first night of play just after the tea-time start. Jersey suffered at the hands of Belgium losing 8-4 and Guernsey B went down 8-6 to Taunton Allsorts, but Guernsey A beat Portugal 8-6 as Guernsey Ladies lost their opener 8-4 to Taunton. Jersey Ladies also lost their opener 8-6 at the hands of Somerset.
In the last session of the day the two Guernsey teams met head on, but the A team were all powerful handing their kinsmen a crushing 8-1 defeat. Portugal and Belgium ended the day with a 7-7 draw. On Saturday, Day 2 of the event, Belgium beat Guernsey A 8-6 and Portugal made an 8-3 and the expense of Taunton Inn, but the most important battle of the session was yet to come in the form of the Ladies Inter-Insular.

As usual all matches are played on two tables and first up for Guernsey were Captain Rachel Chandler and Dora Piskorska who were facing strong Jersey opposition Delia Browne and Jersey newcomer Steph Bradley. Both frames were close as the two teams shared the scores with Piskorska taking the Guernsey point from Browne. Guernsey’s Becci Welsh took the next frame from Laura Giquel while Jersey’s Tracey Perreira levelling it again against Lianne Priaulx in a tense atmosphere of deafening silence. Shannine Opie closed the first set with a crucial win over Christelle Le Toullec and Guernsey were 3-2 up.

In the second session Rachel and Becci put the Donkey’s into a good lead taking frames from Delia and Steph, both girls were firing in shots from all angles on demand. The Jersey girls came back strong showing their obvious experience and pegged the score back to within one frame with wins from Laura and Tracey over Lianne and Shannine. Dora came to the table next and played her best frame so far against Christelle putting Guernsey ahead by 6-4.

In need of just two more frames Alicia Corbin was subbed in for Lianne and played well against Delia, but the Jersey girl got her way and Guernsey were still in need of two. Shannine stood up against Steph and took control winning her frame and putting the Guernsey team within one of the title. It was now down to Dora to do the business. She proved too much for Laura who was tactically outclassed and after making some magnificent pots brought home the winning black and the 2008 Inter-Insular trophy for Guernsey with a score line of 8-5 and ecstatic jubilation from her teammates. By the time the next session came around the Guernsey girls were still on a high, but they were up against Somerset Ladies who as of yet had not lost a match. That was something the Guernsey team would be able to do nothing about as they went down by 8-1 although they had all played well with Captain Rachel taking their only frame.

The Guernsey Men’s A were also in action and eased an 8-3 win over Taunton Inn while Portugal lost to Taunton Allsorts.
The Jersey Ladies put their disappointment behind them for their next challenge against Taunton Select Ladies and in a close battle edged the win by just one frame at 8-7. Guernsey Men’s B received an 11-3 hammering from Portugal while Jersey men gave Taunton a lesson in their 8-1 beating.

With still a great deal of pool to be played before the end of the day the teams pressed on with Jersey continuing their winning streak with an 8-3 over Portugal. Somerset handed out an 8-2 to Taunton Allsorts as Belgium thumped Guernsey B and then Taunton Inn both 8-3. Guernsey A won Taunton Allsorts 8-5 as Guernsey B lost all 8 frames without a reply to Jersey.

In the last session Belgium won again, this time recording an 8-3 against Taunton Allsorts, Guernsey B again fell 8-3 this time to Taunton Inn and the remaining match of the series was set as the Guernsey v Jersey Inter-Insular loomed.

The first session was a runaway for Jersey as Chris Alexander, Gary Cook, Chris Melville, Adrian Bougourd, Karl Dix and Matt Cox all beat Guernsey’s Jess de la Haye (c), Mick Le Noury, Ashley Perriam, Alan Opie, Miles Plumley and Lee Roome, while teammate Darren Hughes won his frame against Mark Shaw and Jersey led by 6-1.

In the second session the Guernsey boy’s seemed to rally with Perriam and Opie taking frames against Alexander and Cook. But then Jersey put their claim on the trophy when Melville, Bougourd, Dix and Cox piled on the pressure in beating Plumley, Roome, Hughes and Le Noury. De La Haye brought the session to a close with a win over Shaw of Jersey but at 10-4 it was looking bleak for Guernsey.

It didn’t take long in the third session to end the match to the Guernsey boy’s misery as Alexander beat Opie to take the trophy by 11-4 ending the team session round-robins.
The team final for the men would see the top two league placed teams of hosts Jersey against last year’s winners Belgium. However, in a closely contested final eventually turning in a result of 8-6 and retaining their title Belgium were the worthy victors.

In the ladies section however, while Somerset were league leaders, the three teams of Guernsey, Jersey and Taunton were sharing second place which sent them all into a three way play-off.
The Captains were told to choose three of their team in a mini round robin in which the first game would see the ladies of the Inter-Insular in a mini-replay.

Guernsey Captain chose teammates Dora Piskorska and Lianne Priaulx, Jersey would pick Steph Bradley, Laura Giquel and Tracey Perreira. Dora played first against Steph and was doing well, but the Jersey girl came to the table with nothing more than one chance which she took to go one in front. Rachel has a royal battle with Tracey who made a heroic clearance and Guernsey was 2-0 down. Lianne battled with Laura and never flinched as she potted her way to a fine win, but it was the Jersey team with the bitter sweet victory following their earlier disappointment.

In their match with Taunton Jersey were not having a good day and lost all three frames ending their chance of getting into the final.
Now faced with an uphill battle, the Guernsey Ladies could not afford to lose another frame needing all three from their encounter with Taunton if they were to keep their hopes alive.

Both Rachel and Lianne played their matches with supreme tactics winning over their opponents and levelling the tally of total play-off frames to three each meaning that the remaining frame would see the victorious side through to the final.

Nerves were jingling and jangling as the ever ice-cool Dora stepped up to the plate. Using all of her skill she played an exceptional game of tactics, potting when she could and terrific safety play when she couldn’t. Coming to the table for another visit she still had three colours standing, holding her nerve she took the game on and made the clearance complete with a sensational black to take her team into the final against the tournaments undefeated Somerset.
Guernsey was happy to have qualified but Somerset was obviously confident having beat the Guernsey team in the round-robin stage 8-1 and so it all looked up-hill for the Channel Islanders. The first two frames were split with Dora losing hers but Alicia stepped up her game and after landing an amazing yellow up the side rail she went on to clear up. Shannine won a tense frame while Lianne, having battled down to the black lost. Captain Rachel played a long hard frame of wits taking her CI team to 3-2.
Dora started the second session and maintained her terrific form winning the frame with ease, teammate Alicia had a bout of good fortune and Guernsey were 5-2 in the lead. Smelling success Lianne and Shannine went in but both were overpowered by their opponents, Rachel took the last frame of the session and Guernsey were 6-4 up. Tension mounted within the team as expectations rose above recorded levels, but those expectations fell to anxiety as Dora and Alicia both crashed bringing the score for the first time since the match began to an all square and memories of their previous win must have boosted the Somerset team.

Even though she was suffering from the effects of flu symptoms Becci was subbed in for Dora. She controlled the frame well and gave her team new hope as they now needed just one more at 7-6 up.

With Rachel and Shannine both on last the others could only watch hoping and praying for their teammates. But Shannine’s match became academic as the Guernsey Captain went for the frame making a truly magnificent clearance of colours leaving her on a tight cut on the black to the corner pocket with less than a millimetre to pass by her opponents red which she made with perfect precision to take the title and start the Guernsey celebrations.

Ladys

Inter-Insular and CI Championship Double Winners Rachel Chandler (c), Alicia Corbin, Shannine Opie, Lianne Priaulx, Becci Welsh, Dora Piskorska