News / Blog - Sports News

I’m chuffed to say that this website continues to gain a following. My thanks and a high five (a hug if you’re a lady) to anyone who pops along here for an occasional browse through the picture galleries.

The time I spend taking pics is mostly exciting and enjoyable…. and it definitely beats having a ‘proper job’!

Now whilst the pleasure I get from working full-time as a photographer should be enough to keep me happy there is an additional side to making me smile – that is this website and the amount of interest shown in my work.

The total number of picture viewings of the galleries has just passed another MILLION MILESTONE. The total now exceeds 17 MILLION VIEWS!

It seems that the annual average has now settled at FOUR MILLION VIEWS A YEAR!

This got me interested in calculating what that number means on a daily, hourly and minute basis. The result is quite surprising!

So I started with the 4 MILLION annual views.

A simple division gives you 11,000 views a day – every day of the year!

I then looked at the Google Analysis which shows most viewings are between 7am and 1am…. that’s eighteen hours out of the twenty-four day.

So another division…. 11,000 views divided by the 18 hours gives you 600 views an hour every day of the year!

Next divide the hourly views by 60 minutes and you arrive at 10 views a minute.

Finally another quick calculation and you can work out that (on average throughout the year) a picture is viewed every six seconds. WOW!

So there we have it, my Maths teachers at the Grammar School always said that I would be surprised how useful ‘learning sums’ could be later in life. In this case it has helped tickle my ego and encourage me to keep taking the pics…. At least while the interest remains ;-)

Thanks again for all your support.

If you want to read a few of my previous ‘MILLION MARK’ Blogs just click on this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MARK BLOGS

I made a short stop off at L'Ancresse golf course this morning to grab a few pics of the Piccadilly Trophy & Brymay Cup competition.

Golf is not my usual choice of sports action photography. There's not enough noise, speed.... or indeed action!

But it was a pleasant day to walk around L'Ancresse Common and I was actually assigned to take the pics - so I didn't have much choice!

Anyway, the short stop was made on my way to Vazon Bay for the Sand Racing so I still found time for some real action photography :-)

UPDATE: After shooting the Piccadilly Trophy on Saturday I returned to the links on Sunday to photograph the Junior Hampshire Greenjackets competition which was played between the Royal Guernsey Juniors and La Moye Juniors. A few pics of that competition are also online.

The golf pics are here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE PICCADILLY TROPHY CHAMPIONSHIP
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE HAMPSHIRE GREENJACKETS

May the 9th is Guernsey's National Holiday... but I have to ask 'What National Holiday?'

Liberation Day is a day that most locals enjoy chilling out on. There are many events taking place if you need entertainment. Or you can take the chance to visit friends and family for a couple of beers.

However for a working photographer it is far from a leisurely day.

This year my first assignment on Liberation Day day was to photograph the 50th time that the Guernsey Velo Club had run their Liberation Day Road Race over the L'Eree course. There was a good size entry when you consider other events that were taking place.

After that 6.30 am start my working day didn't finish until 18 HOURS LATER!!!

Once I'd captured a few action pics of the Road Race it was back to my office to sort, edit, caption and submit the pics for publication.

Next on the list was the Guernsey Athletics running race from the Peninsular into St Peter Port. I captured the start then followed the runners around the coast until (after struggling to find a parking space) I was at the finish line just as the winners crossed. Then back to the office for another edit.

Now it was time to photograph the historic motor cavalcade along the St Peter Port seafront. This always promises lots of colour and flag waving. It produced the goods :-)

It was now time for a bit a music... and a deserved beer... up at the Vale Earth Fair stage placed in the front garden of the Last Post Pub in St Andrew. To be honest with you, I could easily have called it a day then and there as there was a lovely chilled-out vibe among the crowd of locals sitting in the closed main road.

But no, there was more on my list. So back into St Peter Port I headed to photograph some of the bands appearing on the Lib Rock stage on the Albert Pier... only stopping to take a few pics of the fireworks.

So like I've already said, Liberation Day is far from a 'chilled day off' when you're a working 'tog. But it was still great fun. I hope you enjoyed yours.

You can view my pics of the 2017 Liberation Day by following this link:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF LIBERATION DAY 2017

Taking pics in the 'hear a pin drop' environment of a Snooker tournament is a challenge.

This is where I found myself last weekend after being assigned to cover the 2017 Snooker Team Inter-Insular for the Guernsey Press and the Jersey Evening Post.

The competition was held at the Gremlin Club between La Villette Hotel Gremlins v Tower Green Baize Goblins.

The problem a photographer has when taking pics of Snooker (the same can be said for Golf) is that a hush settles over the crowd of spectators as the player sets up his next play. A photographer has to be extremely careful not to fire off a sequence of exposures at the critical moment... so ruining the competitors concentration. You will soon find Security escorting you off the premises!

When I arrived at the tournament I had already sorted out in my mind how I would try to approach the job. I would take advantage of the 'Quiet' mode on my new Nikon D500. This would be combined with the new Nikon 70-200 f2.8 zoom lens. The kit performed brilliantly and I was surprised by how quiet the quiet mode actually was... I love new technology :-)

Using the zoom lens allowed me to stand well back from the tables cropping the scene using the zoom effect.

The one remaining problem was the tables... note the plural here.

The play was taking place on two adjoining tables at the same time so I had to shoot with both eyes open. One watching play on table one, the other eye watching play on the second table. It can be done!

That was the only way to avoid clicking the shutter whilst a crucial play was being made on the other table.

I'm pleased to say that it seemed to work as the security let me stay in the room. Job done with the help of my Nikon kit.

I've added a few pics to a new gallery.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE SNOOKER INTER-INSULAR

MTB got all technical at the weekend's MTB racing.

I was photographing Race-2 of the Guernsey Velo Club's 2017 Downhill Series on a twisting track laid out on the wooded slopes below Pleinmont headland.

This particular discipline needs a rider to be smooth and committed. It is essential to build up a flow through the corners without scrubbing off too much speed. The complete course only took around a minute so every fraction of a second lost would drop you down the order.

I enjoyed trying to get the best angles to show off the riders skill and speed. As usual this meant getting in quite close. It was only after I returned home that I realised how dusty the race track had been as everything was covered in a thick layer of dust!

The pics I managed to capture will hopefully illustrate some of the fantastic competition and skills. Follow the link to see the Gallery:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DOWNHILL MTB PICTURES

The Intertrust 36th Guernsey Easter Running Festival 2017 started on Easter Friday with the 5km Road Run.

There will be no rest for the competitors until the end of the Easter holiday as races are planned for Saturday, Sunday and Easter Monday.

I popped down to Footes Lane for the 5km race which had attracted a few more runners than last year who enjoyed near perfect conditions for the opening race.

I'll be photographing the Keith Falla Memorial Full Course Cross Country race tomorrow. Fingers crossed that the weather gives us more of the same!

The 5km pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 5km ROAD RACE PICS

UPDATE:
The Keith Falla Memorial Full Course Cross Country race pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE KEITH FALLA MEMORIAL CROSS COUNTRY PICS

Here we go then... I've added a new picture gallery featuring the 2017 Inter-insular Squash between Guernsey v Jersey.

Guernsey came out on top but it went right down to the wire in a very close competition.

Squash is played at very high speed. That fact alone makes photography a challenge.

When you add to the mix that most basic courts can only be seen from above - looking at the back of the head of competitors - it is almost impossible to capture a great image.

Just two of the courts at Beau Sejour have glass backs. Now that is an improvement but it still makes photography a struggle. The majority of time during a game, spectators and photographers are still just looking at players backs.

Then the other major factor is that the glass is usually far from crystal clean. No, it is usually smeared with grease and sweat... in fact is makes a perfect 'soft focus' filter!

But all of this isn't enough to put off a dedicated photog so I actually made two visits to Beau Sejour during the day. These were split by another sports photography job.

My congratulations go to the Guernsey and Jersey Squash teams as your joint efforts produced a great competition.

My pics are now online. Hopefully they aren't too far into soft focus!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2017 INTER-INSULAR SQUASH

My work-time has been a bit disrupted recently as I've had to commit more and more hours to the care of my father.

It has been a challenging time trying to fit everything from a 'normal' work and home life around the substantial hours spent caring for my dad.

My father is now over 90 and up until recently he has managed to look after himself... with a lot of support from me. But as time marches on things change and during the last few weeks he has had several falls which have knocked his (and my) confidence in his ability to live alone.

However I'm really pleased to say that after I've stayed with him nearly 24/7 for the last week he is now getting back to normal and is getting stronger again. We have also had fantastic support from all the Guernsey Social Services... from Carers, Fast Response Nurses, Social Workers, St Johns Ambulance, A&E, Doctors.... the list could go on. Thank you all.

This whole episode has caused me to step back and re-asses what is important in life... what is really important to me. I have realized that spending so much time with my father has meant we have strengthened our love and friendship in a very special way. It has been very rewarding.

But, away from that commitment life has to go on and whilst it has been challenging in every way I think a care plan is now in place. I think dad will be able to remain at home - which his wish.

The lack of free time and the stress of trying to keep dad safe are now the main factors that we have to address going forward.

What this ramble is leading to is explaining why it has taken more than a week to update a gallery featuring Round-6 of the GVC Winter MTB XC. I've now sorted this out and you can view the pics by following the link.

Going forward is a bit of an unknown. I'm intending to stay fully committed to the caring of my father and fit as much photography around this as I can. You'll maybe have to be a bit patient if the updates are a little slow sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support and interest in my pics... life goes on... it's just a little different :-)
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND 6 OF THE GVC MTB XC SERIES

On Saturday the Guernsey Amalgamated Boxing Club held 'Rampage on the Rock' at Beau Sejour... offering twelve bouts of Amateur Boxing.

This time it was a Guernsey Select who went toe-to-toe against the visiting England Universities Select.

As always the evening was well organized and supported by a vocal crowd of followers.

There was barely time to catch your breath between bouts as the action was non-stop. It was fantastic to see how well matched the opponents were as nearly every bout used the full three rounds with several being judged as split results.

Photographing boxing from ring-side is a real challenge as the action is fast moving. Combine that with the twisting and turning of the fighters and the referee walking in front of you at just the critical time you are grateful to get just a couple of 'keepers'.

However Saturdays shoot was one of the easiest I have covered as the ring lighting setup was very good. It was even across the whole canvas and perhaps most importantly it was fairly bright and the colour was consistent. The Dinner Boxing at St Pierre Park Hotel is plagued by strip lighting that varies in colour across the ring... that edit is a nightmare.

But the Rampage on the Rock edit is a piece of cake... a simple case of setting your colour balance, tones and exposure and a relaxed batch process did the job. Thank you Mr lighting manager!

I've just added the first seven bouts to a new Gallery featuring:

BOUT-12_Billy Le Poullain v Conner Fanning
BOUT-11_Casey De La Mare v Zohaib Hanif
BOUT-10_Jimmy Lesbirel v Jordan Awale
BOUT-9_Nathan Green v Mo Bakr
BOUT-8_Sam Masterman v Jordan McIntosh
BOUT-7_James Woolnough v River Watson-Bent
BOUT-6_Steve Traynor v Dhiren Mohan Kapur

All the remaining bouts will be added shortly.

Follow this link to view my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF RAMPAGE ON THE ROCK

It's only Saturday and my weekend of sports photography has already been action packed... proving that you don't need to be on the court or pitch to build up a sweat ;-)

The sports 'togging started on Friday evening at Beau Sejour where I photographed two close and exciting Basketball games - MUG v Le Mont Saint Used & Heritage Falcons v Mayside Recycleballers.

After that it was into town to catch some live music then a quick edit of the evenings work before bed.

The two Basketball galleries are already online. Follow the links below to view them.

Saturday morning started with a Guernsey Womans Hockey League Division 1 game at Footes Lane between Indies Ladies v Vantage Puffins. I'll spare the blushes of the Puffins by not quoting the score but it was still enjoyable for me to photograph a Hockey game again, the first for a while.

As usual it was fast paced and played with good spirits - despite the cold.

That Gallery is also already online as I try to keep ahead of the curve as the weekends sport photography still has some way to go!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF MUG v LE MONT SAINT USED
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF HERITAGE FALCONS v MAYSIDE RECYCLEBALLERS
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF INDIES LADIES v VANTAGE PUFFINS

Just a quick couple of links to more sports action pictures from the weekend.

On Saturday it was Round 2 of the GK&MC Motocross championship held on the track at Pleinmont... and it was nice and sunny! The pictures can be found by following the link below.

After I had photographed a couple of the races I had to head off to the next assignment in St Peters. This was a football match between Sylvans and Saints. Those pics are also online.

Click below to open the Galleries:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 2 OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
CLICK TO VIEW SYLVANS v SAINTS FOOTBALL

Now let me say right at the start of this Blog that the way I see it the answer to the question...

'Win or lose, does it matter?'

....is OF COURSE IT DOES!

You are welcome to e-mail me with your own opinions on this topic ;-)

I'll expand on this subject a little more. I happen to feel that if you choose to enter into a competitive sport or activity the least you can do for yourself and indeed the competitor that you are sparing with is to put in the effort to try and win.

I'm not suggesting you should try and win at any cost but by making an effort you will often benefit from the toil... it will help to improve your skills and endurance and make you a better member of society from learning how to win with humility and lose with good grace. Heavy talk eh!

Now whilst I am advocating that you enter any competitive arena with the ambition to win it's actually possible to gather positives from a losing performance.

I was able to observe both the ups and downs that come with a win and a loss on Sunday as I photographed two Guernsey teams competing on our behalf against strong UK opposition.

I began the assignments at Beau Sejour at the 'Division Three South' Netball game between Saffery Panthers and Woodley. Guernsey started strongly but under sustained pressure they found their lead had disappeared by the end of the third quarter. In the final session the Panthers discovered new energy driven by their vocal local supporters and by the end of the game they had turned around the deficit into a 52-40 win. Amazing.

Next it was a short drive to Footes Lane to photograph Guernsey FC play Hastings United in the Ryman League. This wasn't so enjoyable as we went down 0-1. But there were similarities. Once again the local support for our team was vocal. The game was played with passion and good spirit and ultimately the participants and followers left the stadium galvanized and united as a community.

So win or lose there is usually a positive to be had from Sport.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF SAFFERY PANTHERS v WOODLEY
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY FC v HASTINGS UNITED

Footes Lane was again the scene of Guernsey FC's pain and suffering on Saturday afternoon.

The team played another match in their Ryman Football League campaign that has been short on success for a while. This time they lost 0-3 to Ramsgate.

I've listened to many fans commenting on the positive and negative effect that this higher level of competition is having on the whole local football scene.

I'm certainly the last person who should try and comment on this as I have very little knowledge on those matters.

But I will make one observation. That is that every time I photograph a Guernsey FC match I'm always impressed by the level of passionate support given to the team - win or loose. This takes the form of the usual shouting and banter towards the opposition and officials in true football crowd tradition.

However, on Saturday, at the end of the game the crowd stood to applaud both teams... maybe even the officials... as they left the pitch. This is how participation in sports should be enjoyed.

People come together to share an experience and go home entertained - if not always fulfilled! This illustrates the benefit that sport brings to a community.

Over the weekend the Footes Lane sports complex was a hive of activity with the Hockey and Rugby pitches also hosting games. Never let anyone say that there's a shortage of things to see and do in Guernsey.

My Guernsey FC v Ramsgate pics are now online:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY FC v RAMSGATE

So what's a bloke to do when the majority of the Motorsport season is over?

Well today I spent an enjoyable sunny morning photographing the GVC MTB Winter XC Series Round-2 at Pleinmont. The circuit used part of the Motocross track (so I felt quite at home), combined with fields and clifftop paths.

OK, I did miss the noise and engine fumes but the action was great! The hour long race was challenging even for the fittest rider but we all benefited from the wonderful sunny winters morning.

There was an excellent turnout of competitors who took full advantage of the Motocross track layout that offered opportunity to overtake and a choice of racing line.

I'll call this event a great success. Let me know what you thought of it.

I've added a full selection of MTB pics to my website galleries. Take a look at the pics here....
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROUND-2 OF THE MTB XC WINTER SERIES

I love round numbers. Numbers like one million, one hundred, ten… in fact any number that ends in noughts. The more noughts the better though!

There is something nice and tidy about a number that ends in a nought.

I’ve no idea where I get the passion for numerical tidiness from as my office desk is proof that I don’t carry this zeal for tidiness into all aspects of my life!

But I won’t let that small fact spoil the pleasure I felt when my website viewing passed another significant mark… another of those cherished ‘round numbers’.

In fact I’m celebrating two new markers in one this time around. Just how happy can a photographer be???

The celebration comes as this website's total picture views passed through the FIFTEEN MILLION mark…. that’s SIX NOUGHTS you know ;-)

By coincidence this also marks a new record for the number of views within a twelve month period. In fact it is just eleven months since the website views passed ELEVEN MILLION, so for the first time, I have had more than FOUR MILLION views within a year.

That deserves a smiley face :-)

When viewings passed the THREE MILLION annual total I commented that it probably wouldn’t be repeated but now I’m getting cocky and have set myself the challenge of breaking an annual FIVE MILLION views.

To achieve this I don’t see any time in the near future when I’ll find a moment to get around to tidying the disorderly desk…. But that’s fine as ‘tidy’ round numbers will keep me happy ;-)

Thanks for the continued visits to view my pics. It is you who make up the numbers.

You can view a few of the old ‘Milestone Millions’ Blogs by following this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS 'MILLION' BLOGS

Today made a pleasant change of working environment to the 'normal' petrol fumes of motorsport or the noise of a live gig where you will often find me taking pics!

Today I swapped those types of event for the quieter and more genteel atmosphere of a showjumping arena. I was invited along to photograph the North Show equestrian event at the BSJA grounds in the Forest.

I was quickly reminded how much fun it is to attempt to capture the best action in a showjumping arena. There are many similarities between all 'action' photography... it's about timing and reading what, where and when things reach a peak.

Hopefully I dialed in to the pace of the jumping and caught the competitors best monents.

Unfortunately the conditions were less than perfect as it was dull at first then turned to rain :-(

However I thoroughly enjoyed photographing a change of subject. I must do it again soon :-)

You can view the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NORTH SHOW SHOWJUMPING

As I drove around the Guernsey coast this morning heading to the Dos D'Ane I was reminded what a beautiful island we live on.

Clearly this point hadn't been missed by the people already out enjoying what Guernsey has to offer.

The great thing about our island life is that most of the leisure activities are free and available to anyone who wants to get off their asses :-)

OK, I'll admit that we often have to invest in some sort of equipment to pursue our leisure... maybe a bike, fishing rod, surf board, running shoes, walking shoes!

But, to counter that cost, we have to spend very little time or money traveling to start the fun. Rarely more than fifteen minutes.

My morning journey to the Dos D'Ane was to take pics of the Guernsey Velo Club Downhill Mountain Bike racing sponsored by Adventure Cycles. A course had been 'rescued' from the overgrown hillside and I spent a very enjoyable hour trying to capture the action.

Then it was back around the coast which was filling with more people enjoying the summers day.

Aren't we so lucky?

In fact that shouldn't be a question. IT'S A FACT!

My pics are here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC MTB DOWNHILL PICS FROM THE DOS D'ANE

This evening I popped along to Saumarez Park for a quick photo-shoot for the Guernsey Press.

The occasion was the OSA All Terrain Challenge. This is a week of running events over different courses.

Thankfully the temperatures were lower than last evening but the conditions remained hot and tiring.

I only needed to submit a couple of pics but the sunny evening combined with the floral displays deserved a little more coverage... so here we are :-)

*UPDATE* I've just added a few more pics to the Gallery featuring Friday evenings run up the very steep and tiring Saints Bay hill
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE OSA ALL TERRAIN CHALLENGE

Guernsey Velo Club welcomed visiting MTB riders from Jersey for two Downhill races in two days at two completely different venues.

This led to two enjoyable and very competitive events and ended in the Guernsey team actually winning an Inter Insular... we haven't won many of those against Jersey this year :-(

Day one's race was set within the historic walls of Castle Cornet. This was the second time that the 'Conquer the Castle' Downhill racing has taken place along the narrow, ancient pathways.

The whole thing works really well and attracts a sizable crowd. Let's hope it's now established as an annual event.

Then for day two it was a complete change of scenery with the roadshow moving to the picturesque Petit Bot valley and the narrow pathways with specially built jumps and bends.

Once again the good weather encouraged the supporters out and there was a fantastic atmosphere at the top of the hill. It was also notable how much help was being given by competitors at the end of racing to strip down the track markers. There is a commendable 'spirit' in the Club.

I thoroughly enjoyed photographing the racing and judging by the smiles on competitors faces I think they had a good time too!

I've added two Galleries to my website featuring all the action:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF CONQUER THE CASTLE
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE PETIT BOT DOWNHILL

I'm sorry that this website has been completely down for a large part of the day and when the technical issues were identified it eventually re-appeared but in a VERY SLOW form :-(

This was all out of my control and my website administrator has been working hard to return things to 'normal service'.

The whole event is VERY frustrating but Photium... the web admin that I use, have a very, very good record of reliability and are extremely quick to respond to problems. Indeed they come with my full recommendations.

But sometimes these things are out of all our control and patience and understanding is all we can ask for.

I'd be feeling a little bit pleased if the 10,000+ daily views that this website gets had bought the internet down but I can't make that claim to fame!!

Please bear with us while we get things back up to full speed.... thanks.

UPDATE: The website has returned to normal and speedy service. I would like say a big thank-you to the Photium team for keeping me up-to-date with the problems... which were out of their control. These things happen but thankfully are extremely rare!

Andrew :-)