ISLAND SQUAD ANNOUNCED AS SECRETARY GENERAL OF FIT ARRIVES

THE four teams representing Guernsey at the 2010 European Touch Championship later this month have been announced ahead of a visit by one of the touch governing body’s senior team.

Dennis Coffey, Secretary General of the Federation of International Touch (FIT) and Director of Coaching from Touch Football Australia, is spending 10 days in Guernsey running Level 1 and Level 2 coaching courses, training the island squad and attending the Ernst & Young Summer League. He will also attend a Schools Touch Tournament at Blanchelande on Monday to present the prizes.

‘Guernsey Touch is honoured that someone as senior as Dennis is within the world’s touch community is spending so long with us. He has been travelling through Europe for the last couple of months and the Channel Islands are his last stop before the European Championship in Bristol later this month,’ said Guernsey Touch chair Katrina Bray.

‘His time with the island squad will be invaluable and I am sure every player will benefit from his experience and expertise. This is the first time Guernsey has taken four teams away to represent the island and the players have been training hard for months with our local coaching team, headed up by Mark Rodliffe, and with Mike Abromowitz, a key England player at previous tournaments, who has flown in from London for weekend training sessions.’

The European Championship, which is a biennial tournament organised by FIT, attracts teams from across Europe. This year 51 teams from 15 different countries, together with invitational teams New Zealand Academy and Cavendish Road High School in Australia, will take part in the four day tournament, which takes place in Bristol from 22nd – 25th July.

‘It’s a huge tournament and definitely the largest of the Euros that we have attended in the past. We took a mixed, men’s and ladies team to France in 2008 and two full-time referees and this year they will be joined by a Men’s 30s team and a third full-time referee. That’s a huge achievement for a small island particularly when you compare us to a nation like England which has seven teams or France which has six,’ said Katrina.

Ahead of the Euros, the Guernsey Mixed team will travel to Jersey on Saturday 17th July to take part in a mini tournament/training day with Jersey and the New Zealand Academy. Mr Coffey is also travelling to Jersey as is touch legend Peter Walters.

‘That will be fantastic experience for our Mixed team particularly as their first game at the Euros will be against New Zealand Academy. They were fantastic at the 2008 Euros with phenomenal pace and truly amazing ball skills and I’ve no doubt that they will be just as impressive,’ said Katrina.

‘Although we haven’t been drawn in the same group as Jersey, it will still be valuable to play against them and experience faster paced and longer games than we have in the league. Who knows we might meet them later in the competition and we’ll certainly have to face them in the inter-insular on 7th August.’

The island squad is made up of 54 players with Tristan Boscher as captain of the Men’s 30s team, Cliodhna Phelan as Womens captain, Aaron Le Masurier as captain of the Men’s team and Mark Rodliffe as Mixed captain. Katrina Bray goes as team manager and Paula Townsend, Guido Bohlmann and Dave Strawbridge have all been selected as referees by the tournament organisers.

 

The full team list is as follows:

Mens 30s
Ben Snook
Chris Parrack
Chris Wrigley
David Pickup
Howard Morgan
Jeremy Stubbs
Mike Harris
Mike Kupenga
Richard Curtis
Richard Sherrington
Richard Field
Rob Hagerman
Tristan Boscher (captain)

Women’s
Catherine Docker
Chelsie Blondel
Claire Tostevin
Cliodhna Phelan (captain)
Emily Field
Hannah Lord
Kay Davidson
Lindsay de Sausmarez
Lynne Hamilton
Laurie Warlow
Pippa Dudley
Rachelle Wilkes
Steph Nicolle

Mens
Aaron Le Masurier (captain)
Alex Miller
Charlie Moore
Chris Goddard
Craig Brooks
Dominic Page
Geraint Cooper
Matthew Chick
Nick Merrien
Olly Reed
Sam Crawford

Mixed
Alec Bailey
Andrew Dunn
Andy May
Carly Parrott
Debbie Wilson
Gilly Kennedy-Smith
Iain Atchison
James Gavey
Jemma Crouse
Justeen Baker
Laura Cravo
Mark Rodliffe (captain)
Marie Stefani
Matthew Brehaut
Ollie Ward
Richard Duchemin

 

Team manager – Katrina Bray

Referees – Paula Townsend, Guido Bohlman and Dave Strawbridge