THE fifth season of touch rugby in Guernsey looks set to be its most successful yet.

The Antipodean sport has grown significantly since it was first introduced in 2005 and is now played by more than 250 players.

‘It’s fantastic to see so much enthusiasm for touch locally and even though the League doesn’t start for another two months, we know that some teams are already training as they’re keen to improve on their performance last year,’ said Guernsey Touch chair Katrina Bray.

This year’s 12-week Ernst & Young Summer League starts on Wednesday 20th May and registration for mixed, men’s and women’s teams opens on 8th April. Organisers hope to attract 18 mixed teams, 12 men’s teams and six women’s teams and have invested in new computer software which will make it easier to arrange draws, update results and allow players to track the number of tries they score.

‘Last year was an excellent season and the level of touch continued to improve during the Summer. It was great to see experienced players return and new teams come together. It’s always hard to know how teams will fair over the 12 weeks and there are usually some surprise results,’ said Bray.

All teams are required to supply two referees who must have completed the Federation of International Touch’s Level 1 qualification.

‘To ensure the standard of touch is as high as possible, Guernsey Touch invests in the training of all referees. It does add pressure as unfortunately all our referees are also players but we hope that as the sport grows, that people will be keen to concentrate on refereeing and would love to hear from non-players who would be keen to qualify and become involved.’

This year Guernsey Touch plans to take three teams to represent the island at the Mainland Cup which takes place in Germany over the last weekend in July. They will also travel to Jersey on 1st August for the annual Inter-Insular. Training starts this weekend and the committee is encouraging players of every ability to try out.

‘At the 2007 Mainland Cup, the Guernsey mixed team won the mixed competition and so we have a title to defend this year. We’re delighted that we have been able to secure the services once again of former England coach Mike Abromowitz who will be coaching the Guernsey squad with support from local coach Andy May,’ she said.

‘As a relatively young sport, we have lots of players but very few people with coaching experience. With that in mind, Guernsey Touch has arranged to send eight of our experienced players to Jersey to complete a coaching course which we hope will be a huge benefit to the sport in Guernsey. We have also arranged for the rugby development officer Geraint Cooper to attend as he is keen to attract more youngsters to the sport and we’re delighted to be able to help him achieve that.’

After the success of last year’s inaugural Channel Islands Club Championship, a second one has been arranged and teams from across Europe have been invited.

‘We were keen to show just what the Channel Islands have to offer and decided that there was an opportunity to organise a club tournament. We’re delighted that following the success of last year’s event, that we have been able to secure the Channel Islands Stock Exchange as sponsor of the event which will be renamed the Channel Islands Stock Exchange Touch Club Championship. With the support of the CISX, we will be able to grow the tournament and attract even more teams to the islands.’

The 2009 season will end with the Ernst & Young Autumn League which runs for eight weeks over September and October.

‘Although it seems a long way away, it’s amazing how quickly the season goes. None of it would be possible without the hours and hours which the committee and the fund-raising committee puts in and their hard work, together with the enthusiasm of the players, makes touch the successful sport it is.’

More information about this year’s season is available at www.guernseytouch.org.gg or by contacting info@guernseytouch.org.gg

 

For more information please contact Katrina Bray on 07781 191977