SPORT is a great leveller. In Pune, 16-year-old Kirsten McArthur lost to Australia’s No 1 youth player Monika Wejnert 6-3, 6-2 in the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Before that, however, Kirsten had beaten the Seychelles’ Gloria Lauro 6-0, 6-1 in her first round singles’ match.
In Tanzania, the Island’s cricketers struggled. Their relegation from World League Division IV means that all of the hard work they put into climbing up the greasy pole, from Division V only a matter of months ago, has been lost.

They will have to embark on a similar journey yet again. At St Peter on Saturday, a rejuvenated Jersey Rugby Club drew with London Division I leaders, Shelford RFC, 6-6. Playing in that team were young Islanders Luke Le Sueur, Michael Le Bourgeois and Ryan Morgan while on the bench were teenagers Charlie Clyde-Smith and David Felton alongside a veteran of many 1st team encounters, Marcus Nobes.

I mention Marcus, or ‘Nobby’ as he is known at the club, because although he is twice the age of some of the junior players, he competes and trains with such a passion that age doesn’t come into it. If you’re good enough and if you’re fit enough, why should age come into the equation?

And the current coach, Ben Harvey, a man not given to singing the praises of individuals unless they have played a truly inspirational game, is quite a fan of Mr Nobes. ‘I don’t believe how hard he’s trained in recent months,’ he told me. ‘His work rate is phenomenal.’

However – and this is were this initial comment piece is heading – I sense that in the next two or three years the youngsters will be taking over all of the Sports back pages. Kirsten McArthur, for example, might have lost in Pune but I have no doubt that alongside Katie Gouyette she will dominate Island tennis for almost as many years as she wants to.

In netball, the Convent A-team has been ‘infiltrated’ by youngsters good enough to compete for this year’s first division title having beaten St Clement in a hard fought game, while in cricket the ‘oldies’ are all on their way out.

After a series of defeats in Tanzania and at the end of a disappointing Division IV experience, captain Matt Hague, Meeku Patidar and Steve and Tony Carlyon all announced their retirement from the national side. These are not old men; but the media describes them, like Marcus Nobes, as ‘veteran’.

Hopefully, all four of them will reinvest their talents into the local cricket scene and will help Jersey’s director of cricket, Chris Minty, in guiding younger players into fulfilling their potential. For despite the national news about a third of the UK’s youngsters being obese; or how half of all youngsters never contemplate exercise; Jersey is rich within itself, in terms of sports people who have ability and youth on their side.

During the summer I watched Jersey progress from Division V to Division IV in the World Cricket series at Grainville. The majority of the players had a huge amount of experience to call upon. Now, a proportion of them are about to depart. But youth must have its day, which is why I was heartened by what Chris Minty said, after the competition was over: ‘You must always look at positives and the performances of some of our younger players were fantastic,’ Minty said.

For while the veteran players failed with the bat, Minty was full of praise for the youngsters. ‘Young Anthony Kay was a star, Ben Stevens played very well indeed. Matt Hanley kept wicket and Sam Dewhurst played and did a good job,’ he said. ‘They’re 16, 18, 19 and 21-years-old. That’s the future of Jersey cricket.’

And, if you look through the Jersey Evening Post most nights, you’ll notice that the number of young people we feature is ever-increasing – particularly in the Sports pages.