TWO totally different Channel Islands teams of four rinks turned out against the British Lions at the Atherley club in Southampton at the weekend, each one split, 50/50, with two rinks from Jersey and two from Guernsey.

Suffering a painful double defeat, the CI may be pondering whether they should have fielded their best 16-man team, rather than dilute their strength across eight rinks, involving 32 players.

By contrast, the Lions, who fielded one rink from each of the four home countries, kept their team intact throughout the weekend, and were rewarded with a 110-62 win on Saturday, and a 95-56 victory yesterday.

Jersey rinks, skipped by Gus McKinnon and Cyril Renouf, were beaten 33-16 and 26-13, in the first Test, while Ian ‘Skippy’ Hodgetts, lost 31-8 yesterday, when Thomas Greechan’s rink did well to lose by five shots to an English rink skipped by Neil McKee.

Guernsey’s rinks, skipped by Paul Merrien, Matt Le Ber and Gary Pitschou were well beaten, leaving Paul Ingrouille to salvage some pride for the Sarnians with a solitary 22-14 win over Ireland’s Brendan Thompson.

International indoor bowls series at Atherley – British Lions bt Channel Islands 2-0:- First Test: Lions bt CI 110-62 – Rink scores (Lions skips first): Neil McKee (E) 27, John Wallis, Richard Hill, Ian Merrien, Paul Merrien 17; Scott Kennedy (S) 33, Alex Stewart, Ty Thomas, Scott Ruderham, Gus McKinnon 16; David Harding (W) 24, Steve Desperques, Garry Collins, Neal Mollet, Matt Le Ber 16; Brendan Thompson (I) 26, Michael Rive, Derek Boswell, Alan Shaw, C Renouf 13.

Second Test: Lions bt CI 95-56 – Rink scores (Lions skips first): Harding 31, Maurice Andrieux, Kevin Le Long, Malcolm De Sousa, Ian Hodgetts 8; Thompson 14, Mike Le Noury, Kris Bichard, Chris Dyer, Paul Ingrouille 22; McKee 22, Will Waymouth, Brian Bisson, Dickie Allen, Thomas Greechan 17; Kennedy 28, Dave Lock, Steve Le Noury, Daniel De La Mare, Gary Pitschou 9.