News / Blog - Sports News

Before I arrived at the Motocross track on Sunday I'd already done a shoot.

It was helpful that the first stop was on my way up to the Pleinmont cliff-top MX track.

I took a small detour down into Petit Bot valley where Round-4 of the GVC 2020 Downhill MTB series was taking place. As always I found it a challenge to stay upright whilst trying not to slide down the slippery banks... but it was fun!

I've now completed that edit and the pics can be viewed by following this link:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND-4 OF THE GVC MTB SERIES

It's very hard to find any words to say after hearing the tragic news that Zef Eisenberg has lost his life in a high speed crash whilst chasing another speed record to add to his long list.

Speaking from Guernsey, the Island that he made his home, and as someone who has worked for him photographing some of his portfolio of properties, racing action and several Motor Sport promotion shots I know what an impact he had on the things that he had a passion for.

Zef never did things by half. He also never did anything other than at 'full speed'! He was a genuine 'Speed Freak'.

He will be remembered for his remarkable life where he was always looking forward. He had the ability to make an impact on anything he involved himself in.... from starting Maximuscle to breaking speed records to supporting the Guernsey Motor Sport scene and his charity work on the Saumarez Park children's playground. These things are his legacy.

Few of us will ever lead such a full life as Zef and the only consolation is that he didn't waste a minute of his 47 years.

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family and friends.

I've added a couple of my pics of Zef to a gallery including this Montage that Zef commissioned.

They reflect my memories of him.
CLICK TO VIEW A COUPLE OF PICS OF ZEF EISENBERG

One of the events I've photographed this weekend was the Rugby Fest at Footes Lane.

Players and Clubs had to be a bit innovative to enable a day of games to take place and they did a great job organizing this event. The two games I photographed were Buccaneers v Corsairs and Vikings v Vikings.

My pics of two of the games are now online and you could get the impression from the pics that the sunny day was balmy and comfortable. The truth was that there was a real chill in the wind.

However it was still more comfortable then my prior job at the 'Terres photographing the hillclimb... there the wind coming straight off the sea meant me feeling the real wind chill factor!

I've clearly gone soft during the summer and I'd better 'man up' quickly before the winter sports!

You can view my Rugby pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY PICS OF THE RUGBY

The weather forecast isn't always to be trusted when planning your day.

After the event it's always easy to be wise about things. At the time of decision we all have to make a judgement based on known 'facts' combined with instinct and gut feeling.

This was the position competitors faced early on Sunday morning as they had to decide if it was worth making the effort to get the kit down to Vale Castle for the GMC&CC Sprint. If they checked the various weather forecasts the predictions varied wildly and a quick look out of the window would have revealed rain clouds looming.

It turned out that the bikers played it safe... and who can blame them as a wet Vale Castle road is a treacherous place. A few of the car drivers also made the early choice to stay safe and keep their vehicles in one piece for another day. These were wise choices... If of only the forecasts had been accurate!

But technology got it wrong this time and by the start of racing the clouds had blown over and the road had dried. I imagine the absent bikers and several car drivers regretted their decision as the Vale Castle Sprint road dried to perfect condition after only a couple of timed runs.

So the result was that those who had turned up had lots of fun and loads of runs and I needn't of packed and carried all my wet weather kit (including an umbrella) around all day!

My pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2020 VALE CASTLE SPRINT MEETING

Guernsey Rugby took advantage of the Covid 19 free situation enjoyed by Guernsey and the Isle of Man to organize a game at Footes Lane. Using the safe 'air bridge' Douglas RFC visited us and after an initial delay due to the weather conditions the game was played in warm sun.

It turned out that the gap in experience and the respective position in the UK leagues that the teams play meant that Guernsey Raiders cruised to a very easy 84-17 win.

But it would be wrong to judge the afternoon only on the score. The game was a celebration of the efforts and conviction shown by both Island's residents to beat the bug.

This gallery displays some of my pics....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY RAIDERS v DOUGLAS RFC

That was a quite exciting and entertaining morning at the MTB Downhill race.

Round 2 of the Guernsey Velo Club MTB Downhill Series was held on the very dry slopes of Pleinmont headland. The loose soil and tree roots became a challenge as the timed runs commenced and several riders tasted the dry dirt.

But it was Michael Toll who scored a 10 with his spectacular roll... right in front of the spectators. How embarrassing!

There also happened to be three photographers in the right spot so at least he will have plenty pics to show his grandchildren one day, ha ha.

My pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE MTB DOWNHILL ROUND 2

Guernsey Rugby enjoyed organizing a Full Contact Rugby 7's Festival at Footes Lane today.

Our Island is possibly the only place world-wide able to allow this contact sport as Guernsey has eliminated the Covid 19 virus.

The action was nearly non-stop and a decent crowd followed the play from the cool stand as the sun baked the pitches.

I photographed the play and my pics can now be viewed here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE RUGBY 7's PICS

We were all spoilt by the glorious summers evening up at the Motocross track for Day 4 of the GVC Adventure Cycle 2020 Tour of Guernsey.

I'd driven down the west coast to get to the event and Islanders were out in force enjoying the best that Guernsey has to offer. The popular Cobo Bay couldn't have fitted another car in its parking spots and the roadside verges were lined with the overflow.

When I arrived at the clifftop MX track I was relieved to find that there was a steady breeze to keep the temperature down. Latter this was to become a nuisance as the riders agitated the dry track covering us with a fine dust!

But it was a very enjoyable evening capturing the action and all that was needed when I returned home was a shower, a quick dust and polish of my kit and a beer.... not necessarily in that order!

With the lovely low evening light and such a big entry I took a few more pics than usual. I hope you like them. View them here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE MTB's AT THE MX TRACK

I was at rock bottom this evening...

Ronez Quarry is one DEEP hole.

I reached this new low whilst photographing Day 3 of the Velo Club Adventure Cycle 2020 Tour of Guernsey. The week-long challenge keeps competitors enthused by offering a variety of venues.

This adds interest because whilst one days format might play to the strengths of one racer the next day may favour another. To succeed in the quarry climb you certainly needed to be a master of the gears!

I hope to cover a couple more of the races this week. Pop back here later to check the Galleries.

My pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW DAY 3 OF THE 2020 ToG

The Velo Club Adventure Cycle 2020 Tour of Guernsey hit the hills of L'Ancresse for day one of the racing.

The course was quite a challenge in some parts where riders had to traverse some rocky slopes. In fact, I guess, it wasn't the easy relaxed start to the week of racing that some were hoping for.

But the positive to take from completing the race must be that things can't get much harder..... can it?

I'll be covering a few more races. Check back here during the week.

Pics of day one racing can be viewed here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW DAY-1 OF THE TOUR OF GUERNSEY 2020

I enjoyed the variety in my Sports photography at the weekend.

Starting with sea swimming at the Guernsey Triathlon event at Petit Bot. This was followed by Velo Club Downhill MTB then it was on to Athletics at Footes Lane.

The Guernsey Athletics Track & Field Meet 2 at Footes Lane included 100m, 200m, 300m Hurdles, 1500m, 5000m, Discus and Hammer.

There were several notable performances. Alastair Chalmers won the 300m hurdles in a time of 35.35sec to place him fourth on the UK all-time list. PB's also came from Jesse Knight, Chris McAlister and Scott Lincoln.

The Athletics pics are now online. Take a look at them here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE TRACK & FIELD MEET 2

My lifestyle is definitely more 'rock n roll' than 'farmer Jones' when it comes to the time I emerge from my bed!

This is probably influenced by the time I hit the sack each evening (often morning!). I go out to a lot of live music gigs and when that is combined with late night picture editing an early start is pretty challenging. I guess we all make our own choices of our waking hours.

But on an early morning like yesterday's I sometimes think that I should adjust the timescale I live to. My first assignment yesterday was down on Petit Bot beach to photograph the Guernsey Triathlon event.

As normal this started with the swim and the beautiful sunny beach sheltered by the high cliffs was simply idyllic. Petit Bot is truly one of Guernsey's treasures.

I was really pleased I had made the effort to get to the start-line as I think my pics portray some of the special atmosphere of the early morning start.

There's a new Gallery featuring my pics if you are interested:
CLICK TO VIEW THE PETIT BOT TRIATHLON PICS

Round 1 of the Guernsey Velo Club Summer 2020 Downhill MTB Series was held on the Petit Bot Course today.

It was a bright and sunny morning and excitement and expectation was high after we've come out of Covid 19 lockdown. Once again another Guernsey Sport is reaping the benefits of the early, considered and careful control that was put in place to shield us from the worst of the pandemic.

There was a new jump that was exciting competitors when I arrived. I think I'll call it 'The Legend Maker' as it looked to me that any rider making that leap needed to have, to quote a popular phrase, 'balls of steel'... if only to ease the pain of the distant landing on the custom built sloping wooden staging!

After much examination and analysis several top riders took the leap and as is often the case with these things full commitment was needed.

Ultimately it turned out to be a spectacular addition and big respect if you were one of the head cases who took the plunge!

I was able to take a few pics before having to leave for the next assignment. Take a look at my pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 1 OF THE GVC 2020 SUMMER DOWNHILL SERIES

Sometimes things creep up on you unexpectedly. We all trot along through life on our chosen route and in our own time.

But of course the person we are inevitably changes as we age. My own experience of getting older has been almost all positive as maturity brings with it more patience, understanding, balance and experience.

So I hope you will resolve from that statement above that I have little to complain about and day to day life is great.

But what about the unexpected lurking in the dark just waiting to remind me of the passing of the years?

Well I've just had a poke in the ribs from one.

I have been locked down - like most of us - which has meant that I've not been uploading new pics for some time. This has proven to be a problem for my 'pensioners aged' brain as I got into a proper fix today whilst I tried to upload a new album. This was entirely due to user error (I mean brain failure) as it seems I had forgotten the correct procedure!

I was so stuck that I contacted the Photium help desk!

Photium are the host company for this website and I have always found their service to be absolutely second to none!

Whenever I have needed to ask Photium a question the reply usually arrives within minutes. They really are that good and I would recommend them to everyone. Their site Admin is easy to follow (even for a pensioner, normally!) and you can customize your website to you own style. So this is a BIG shout out for Photium. Thanks for your help.

Now once again, after receiving a reminder of how things work, I'm back with a website featuring the latest pics all safely uploaded!

Take a look at the Skipton v Le Mont Saint Basketball gallery here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF SKIPTON v LE MONT SAINT

The Guernsey Triathlon Club had their wishes fulfilled for the start of the Vazon Surf Tiathlon... there was surf!

The strong wind that agitated the sea was to become a nuisance for the out leg of the bike ride but offered relief for the return leg.

There was a good entry for this challenging event. I managed to chase the competitors around the courses to capture the action.

Take a look at the picture gallery by clicking the link below:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE VAZON SURF TRIATHLON

It's been a busy weekend as 'normal' life returns to Guernsey with many Clubs and Events planning new calendars for the coming months.

I've just finished uploading pics of today's Guernsey Athletics Track & Field Meet 1 at Footes Lane. An early shower just before competition started threatened to make things a little uncomfortable however the wind soon blew it clear and it was then very pleasant to be 'back in the groove' taking pics.

You can check out the complete gallery here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF MEET 1 OF THE TRACK & FIELD

I decided to try a different viewpoint whilst photographing the Guernsey Rowing Club's lockdown beating rowing event.

The Club came out of the forced lockdown to hold their first event of the year over the B course totaling 5,200 meters of open sea.

After starting at Havelet Bay the rowers headed south to Fermain Bay making a turn amongst the anchored leisure boats before heading back to St Peter Port.

I had positioned myself on the cliffs surrounding the picturesque bay in the hope that it offered a new viewpoint. The effort to get there was more than I remembered as I trekked down from the Jerbourg monument... there are a lot more steps than I recall!

But the reward was an open view looking down 300 feet on to the competitors... luckily I had taken my Nikon 180-400mm (560mm with the built-in extender) lens. With this lens I could see right into the boats.

I've added a small gallery of pics which can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST ROWING PICS

The first Guernsey Athletics Track & Field event after the relaxing of the Covid-19 social distancing restrictions was held at Footes Lane today.

After a couple of days of much needed heavy rainfall the conditions looked near perfect to this photographer however there was a tail wind along the 100 meter straight which was just over the limit. Sadly this ruled out a couple of PB's set by athletes.

However after the long enforced break there is optimism for the next meeting.

My pics featuring some of the action can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY ATHLETIC TRACK & FIELD

After spending many weeks locked down and highly restricted in our movements the Guernsey Sporting scene has been leading the community out of those gloomy days.

Today the Guernsey Triathlon Club were permitted to run an event at Grande Rocque in the form of a Super Sprint. The organizers had developed a system to ensure that the required social distancing could be maintained with competitors split into two 'batches' and then also using a staggered start.

The smiles (through the pain) illustrated how pleased the racers were to be back in competition.

During the next couple of weeks many of the other Sports are expected to restart their events.

It's good to be back.

Follow this link to view a few of my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE FIRST TRIATHLON AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

I guess I was silly to expect anything different to 'more of the same'.

But the optimist in me hoped that I would have the (rare) opportunity to photograph an outdoor sporting event without getting wet! As we all know the rain has spoilt the majority of days this winter and inevitably many sports fixtures have been cancelled due to the condition of pitches.

The KGV All Weather pitch has certainly earned its keep this winter.

I was down there tonight to photograph a football game between North and Alderney and I'm booked for another visit on Sunday. Meanwhile I'll be keeping an eye on the game booked to kick off at 2pm tomorrow at The Track. Hopefully both of those are dry!

The North v Alderney pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF FOOTBALL NORTH v ALDERNEY