Dave Le Roux goes for goal (00734040)
THE crowning glory of Jersey’s week-long Island Games campaign in Aland must surely be the gold medals won by Jersey’s footballers late last night.
At the Wiklof athletics stadium the Island boys topped a phenomenal tournament with a 2-1 win over the home side, and arguably the favourites, Aland.
There was medal success, too, for golfer Olivia Jordan-Higgins, who equalled her result from Rhodes two years ago, with individual silver. Although Gavin O’Neill missed out on an individual medal for the men, the team did pick up a bronze after a decent final day put them in third place.
In the athletics three medals were won on the last day – gold for the ladies 4×400m relay, silver for the ladies’ 4×100m, and a bronze medal in the triple jump for Stephen de la Haye.
Mary Norman won another gold medal in the shooting, and Dave Ward another silver, while badminton duo Chris Cotillard and Kim Ashton reached today’s final of the mixed doubles, against a Guernsey pairing. Also today Craig Gascoyne and Nicola Duke contest the table tennis singles semi-finals.
The volleyball ladies scored their first win of the Games on their final day of competition, beating Guernsey in their play-off for 11th and 12th, and though the men lost their game, to the Faroe Islands, they still managed a respectable sixth.
In the gymnastics Matthew Maletroit won two silver medals on the high bar and rings and the bronze on the parallel bars and Matthew Hill won a bronze on the pommel.
Kirsten McArthur and Andrew Evans lost the mixed doubles tennis final in straight sets, but took a well-deserved silver medal.
Martin Speller won his final race in the sailing, helping Jersey to eighth place overall in the team event, while the windsurfers have scored a team silver medal, and a fourth place for Michael Millar.
Jersey finished the day, still in third place overall with 23 gold, 34 silver and 15 bronze medals, behind the Isle of Man with 29 golds and the Faroe Islands in first with 31. Guernsey is in fourth with 19 golds.
Article posted on 4th July, 2009 - 9.00am
