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What to do when you have a spare couple of hours before the next job?

How about catching up with our local rugby teams hosting visitors?

So I popped along to Footes Lane.

First up was a Raging Bull Shield Division 2 game - St Jacques Vikings v Bournmouth II.

Then there was just time to capture some first half action at the National League 2 South game between Guernsey Raiders and Barnstaple RFC.

Check out the pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE WEEKENDS RUGBY ACTION

Slippery under foot seems to have become my workplace of choice over the last couple of weekends!

Like last week I was trying to capture the two-wheeled action at a GVC MTB event.

This time it was Downhill racing at Pleinmont on a course set out on very slippery slopes near the old lighthouse keepers building.

The combination of muddy slopes and slippery roots made it hard for me to keep on my feet and it was observed that many of the riders were doing a much better job than me of staying upright!

Although it has to be said that several riders did come a cropper. I was relieved that every one of them remounted with only their ego taking a bruising! Of course getting out of bed on Monday morning they may feel their weekends spills!

I've added my pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST MTB DOWNHILL PICS

So I popped my head out the front door and it looked quite pleasant. The weather forecast was good (no rain) so I reckoned that I was going to enjoy taking pics of the Priaulx League football down at Port Soif.

But I misjudged how a chill wind can whip through you when you are sitting pitch-side with no protection from an icy blast.

As we know the saying goes (something like) 'There is no such thing as bad weather.... just the wrong clothing'! This was certainly the case here.

Now I must remember to put my thermals in the boot ready for the next time. If I'd had them today I would have returned home nice and 'toasty' rather than chilled to the bone!

Lucky there was a fair bit of action to take my attention away from the discomfort with a final goal count of Rovers 2 - St Martins 6!

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW ROVERS v ST MARTINS PICS

It was inevitable that the two jobs today would involve some mud.... we did have a lot of rain yesterday, eh!

So my day was spent trying to avoid an embarrassing slip into the mess.

I'm pleased to say I succeeded.

Both the jobs involved two wheel transport - man powered and motorized. And each one demanded confidence and skill to be shown by the riders due to the already noted mud!

I've just added a gallery of pics featuring the morning job... the GVC MTB XC at the Underground Hospital. Click the link to view those pics.
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC MTB XC PICS

Today I checked the rain App before leaving home to photograph a round of the FA Cup at the KGV.

Just before setting off there had been a very heavy shower... the sort that would wet you through in a couple of minutes so when further heavy showers were predicted to arrive during the football game I got into my full wet weather kit! Why get soggy when simply dressing suitably saves the discomfort?

But I was only due to spend the first half at KGV before I had to dash off to submit pics before an early print deadline for the Guernsey Press. Thankfully, this time, the rain gods must have been looking after me today as the downfall didn't arrive.

Hopefully I haven't spent my good luck too early in the year!

Pics of the first half of the game are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE FA CUP CF INDEPENDENTS v SYLVANS PICS

Today, New Years Day, true to my word I found another Cross Country event to chase around after as part of my remedy to seasonal overindulgence.

This time the event had a twist to it. The format offered a bit of fun for the runners and, in theory, everyone of them had the chance to take a race win!

The Guernsey Athletics statisticians had been working late nights to calculate a handicap for each competitor. This meant a staggered start... but a prospect of a mass finish at the end.

Nothing like this is ever perfect and some of the runners clearly had a good day and achieved substantial improvements in form but there was defiantly a large block who battled for places a the finish line.

Here are my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE NEW YEARS DAY CROSS COUNTRY

The surf was up on New Year's Eve at Vazon Bay, Guernsey. The strong wind meant it was messy but the fact it was a day off for many people meant it was just too good a chance to miss!

I spent an hour or so trying to capture some of the action and I've added a new Gallery where they can be viewed.

Follow this link to see the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2021 NEW YEARS EVE SURFING PICS

The corrective measures needed to undo several days of seasonal overindulgence started today at Delancey Park.

However it's actually quite a stretch of imagination to think that the fine athletes who belong to the Guernsey Athletics Club threw discipline out the window at the Christmas dinner table. That task was well handled by this photographer.

So a 4km Cross Country was not much more than a stroll in Delancey Park for them and it was me who gained a (small) benefit as I chased around after them taking pics!!

Having now completed the edit I'm looking through the diary to see my next opportunity to return to my fighting weight.....

The pics of the Short Course Cross Country can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE CROSS COUNTRY PICS

So after last weekends sports shoot featuring tennis racquets at the Inter-insular tennis championships there was a swap of racquets for this weeks shoot at the Guernsey Island Closed Badminton Finals!

Badminton offers similar challenges to photographing indoor tennis. Firstly the lighting is never bright enough to satisfy a photographer who is trying to freeze the action. Also there is quite a restriction on access. It is hard to achieve the angles of view that would be ideal and of course a photographer must not interfere with the play... that includes getting in the eye-line of the players.

But professional sports photographers will always enjoy that challenge!

The last time I photographed these finals was in 2018 (before the world changed) and it was great to see a mix of familiar faces and new ones contending the various titles.

I've now added a Gallery featuring my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2021 GUERNSEY CLOSED BADMINTON FINALS

I was a little limited on time to photograph the Tennis Inter-insular against Jersey but it was great to see some of the great performances by the local squad.

The resulting 9-3 win was pretty decisive and the reward was for the Guernsey squad to pick up the Bucktrout Trophy for the first time since 2007!

Well done Guernsey. We are proud of you.

I've now added a small Gallery of pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE TENNIS INTER-INSULAR GALLERY

It was a busy and varied weekend of work.... just how I like it!

This time most of it revolved around sport photography and it was a reminder of how broad the whole 'sports scene' is in Guernsey. Also it showcased how the Islands sports stars can hold their own against visitors from afar... and not so far!

I've already added Galleries featuring the latest GFC game against Chertsey Town. This high ranking side in the Isthmian South Central league had to work hard for their narrow win against our side.

Another enjoyable assignment was at the Velo Club MTB XC in a fantastic setting. Those pics are also already online. See the News item below.

The latest Gallery update features seven Bouts of boxing from the Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club night at St Pierre Park Hotel. This was another chance for local competitors to go head to head against a visiting team and they produced some impressive performances against the Stevenage ABC team.

And just to add to the variety I also covered the 2021 Tennis Inter-insular at the Indoor Tennis Courts where the Guernsey squad really showed their class by beating Jersey 9-3. What a great finish to the weekend.

What will next weekend bring?
CLICK TO VIEW THE GUERNSEY v STEVENAGE ABC BOXING GALLERIES

It's great when a regular sort of assignment is turned into something a bit special.

Today one of my photoshoots was of an MTB Cross Country race. Nothing special about that really. I must have photographed a few dozen MTB races.

But for a photographer, once you've taken pics of a few of these events, you start looking for something to keep yourself interested. One of the best incentives is when you are offered a new or different venue as a backdrop to your pics.

That was what happened at the GVC XC. The race circuit was laid out within the grounds of an impressive local property and it offered a real mix of features. But for me it was the chance to use a vineyard as the setting for my photographs.

Also can I just remind you that there is an option when ordering pics for you to select a BLACK & WHITE version. Most of the website galleries consist of a coloured version but I do love a BLACK & WHITE print. There is something classic and timeless with a monochrome image.

If you want to see the results follow this link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE MTB RACE THROUGH A VINEYARD

Conditions were pretty extreme down a Footes Lane for the clash between GFC and Chertsey Town.

A very strong and gusty wind blowing straight down the pitch meant that both sides were going to have to face that onslaught for one half of the game.

GFC were first to battle the head wind and it certainly impacted their game but they did well to return to the calm of the dressing room at half time with the score at 0-0.

The local side started the second half with new vigor, energy and speed and they created several good chances but sadly, against the run of play, Chertsey Town scored after making an unexpected break from the back.

That one goal was enough to give the visitors the win.

My pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GFC v CHERTSEY TOWN FOOTBALL

My backlog of pics keeps me busy whenever I have a few spare minutes.

Back in 2019 there was quite a bit going on around here. We were completely renovating our bungalow. My office was a monitor balanced on a small table in a corner amongst piles of boxes.

So whilst I still managed to get out to capture some pics the edits were often sidelined.

When I now look through those folders it only seems right that I make an effort to complete the edits. So today I've added a gallery of pics featuring T20 Cricket, Guernsey v Jersey at the College Field in May 2019!

It looked a beautiful day... perfect for cricket!
CLICK TO VIEW T20 CRICKET - GUERNSEY v JERSEY

With GFC playing away in the Isthmian League I was assigned to cover two local Priaulx League games.

The first game was between St Martins and Alderney however the kick-off was delayed by half an hour due to the Alderney teams flight running late.

So this impacted the time I could spend at Blanche Pierre Lane before I had to head down to North Field. However I was at the game long enough to be confident that St Martins were the likely winners and the eventual 3-1 result confirmed this.

I arrived at the North v Rovers game with 0-0 on the board. But it was soon pretty obvious that North had most of the play and they soon made their possession count. A final score of 3-0 seemed entirely fair.

My pics are now online and can be viewed by clicking these links:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ST MARTINS v ALDERNEY
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF NORTH v ROVERS

As the seasons continue to roll on today heralded the start of the Velo Club's Adventure Cycles MTB Winter Downhill series.

The track at La Pomare included the big jump for those who felt brave and the drop through the wood was slippery after the overnight rain. All this meant that there was plenty of excitement and I was particularly impressed by how many of the young riders took to the air over the big jump!

I've added a new gallery featuring the best action here:
CLICK TO VIEW RACE 1 OF THE WINTER DOWNHILL SERIES

Bracknell Town put on a show that illustrated why they are top of the Isthmian South Central league when they visited Footes Lane to play GFC.

Across the pitch their players were just a bit quicker, they anticipated the play faster and created more chances. The reward was a 0-3 score.

So this time GFC were outclassed. This brought home the reality that the previous two games GFC were probably the better side... only to give the win away late in the games. Those were missed opportunities in this competitive league.

GFC have another top of the table clash lined up for next weekend. Hopefully they can find the form to get a win.

Pics of the Bracknell Town game are online here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GFC v BRACKNELL TOWN PICS

Of course I can be called biased... I am a Guernsey donkey after all!

But supporters of Guernsey Football Club can be forgiven if they were disheartened when they left Footes Lane this afternoon. They had seen their side have the illusive win snatched out of the bag late into injury time. The result is recorded as a 2-2 draw.

Perhaps GFC went off the boil at times during the game but I do love the work rate and commitment shown by all the team. I also enjoy the direct play. The team spirit can be seen to emanate from GFC's inspirational captain Ross Allen. Many times he will chase and harass opponents breaking their rhythm and making time and space for us to re-group. He is also a legendary goal scorer.

So along with all the supporters I was disappointed that GFC didn't secure that important win. But surely the reward for so much endeavor is just around the corner? Maybe the next game on Wednesday evening will give the breakthrough?

My pics have been added to a new Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GFC v WESTFIELD FC

Yesterday I spent the early part of the evening chasing around trying to find the Netball game that I'd been booked to photograph.

In the end the effort failed as it seems the game had been cancelled! So rather than return home without a result I sniffed out a game that was still on.

This was one of the Guernsey Netball Association's Winter Indoor League Division One games at St Sampsons High.

The teams, Liberte NGT A v Paving the Way, put on a really close contest with Paving the Way just pulling off the win, 36-32.

I'd forgotten how challenging Netball is to photograph. It's quite different to Basketball even though you could imagine they would be similar.

So I've made a note to not leave it so long again before returning. Maybe I will 'get my eye and timing' tuned if I have more practice!

My pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE NETBALL PICS

The 2021 Siam Trophy weekend offered a full days entertainment for Guernsey and Jersey Rugby supporters at Footes Lane.

Three games had been organized. First was the Veterans game playing for the Nash Cup. The Guernsey Vets set the standard by beating Jersey Vets 55 - 19. No doubt about the best team after a score like that.

So it was the Ladies turn next and Guernsey Raiders Ladies set off at a pace and they didn't take the foot off the gas until the final whistle. The result was a score of 46 - 7. A decisive Guernsey victory over the Jersey Reds Women.

I managed to cover the later part of the second half of the ladies game and I've added a Gallery featuring those pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2021 LADIES SIAM TROPHY