News / Blog - Sports News

There was a family theme on Tuesday evening at Blanche Pierre Lane at the Lewis Laine Shield football final. The game was between Sylvans U14's v Rangers Black U14's.

What made it a family event was that my grandson Anton was joint Captain of the Rangers. Also there in support was his father Ric and his uncle Steve.... and of course me taking the pics!

It's safe to say we had a most enjoyable time. A 5-1 win for Rangers helped a bit! Well done guys. Great football... but I want you to work on your celebrations for next time, ha, ha 😉⚽️🍾🥇

My photos are now online.
CLICK TO VIEW THE LEWIS LAINE SHIELD PHOTOS

There was a great turnout for Round 1 of the GVC Ian Brown's MTB XC event at Delancey Park on Sunday morning.

The enthusiasm, toughness and endurance on show, particularly from the juniors, was very impressive.

The course consisted of multiple gradients mixed with longer straights and twisty corners which all worked together to make it hard for the riders to find any rhythm.

This championship promises lots more close racing. I hope to be there to give full coverage of all the action.

Photos of Round 1 are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 1 OF THE 2024 MTB XC SERIES

It seems there's never a shortage of people wanting to face the challenge of a Triathlon!

But how do you know if you can complete such an event?

Well the Guernsey Triathlon Club offers the chance of a 'taster' in the form of their 'Try A Tri'.

I covered the event today for the Guernsey Press and I've added a gallery of my photos here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2024 TRY A TRI PHOTOS

It was another sporty weekend for me with a chance to photograph a Sport that demands a different approach.

I was at the Ex-Servicemen's Club to cover the 2024 Snooker Inter-insular against Jersey. I made two short visits as I needed team shots and some of the action.

This sport is one that benefits from the new mirrorless cameras as my older Nikon DSLR's were notorious for their loud 'clatter' when taking a shot.

You can imagine that this is not good in a hushed room at a critical moment in play.

It's great to vary the Sports I photograph as it keeps me motivated!
OH, and well done to the Guernsey team for a dominant win.... what a shame the Jerseymen forgot to bring the trophy with them!!

There's a new Gallery online featuring my work:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2024 SNOOKER INTER-INSULARS

Congratulations to Vale Rec on winning the FNB Priaulx League.

After waiting two decades to return the trophy to their cabinet I was expecting a lively celebration... and Vale Rec certainly didn't disappoint me!

When trying to capture the joy and delight that follows collecting a trophy a photographer just has to accept that when the 'champagne' spraying is over all the cameras will need a wipe down and your clothing will stink of cheap sparkly!

I guess this is all part of a normal days work for a Sports photographer!

There's a full gallery of the celebration highlights on my website here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE VALE REC PRIAULX LEAGUE WINNING CELEBRATIONS

The Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club held their last 'Boxing at the Park' before their summer break at St Pierre Park Hotel. They welcomed a Yorkshire Select team that proved to be strong.

This led to every boxer having to dig deep and stand toe-to-toe in the ring against their opponent.

I think that for me the most impressive bouts were the first few on the bill. Each of these featured youngsters and they received huge support for their bravery and energy. Well done guys!

I've uploaded the nights photos to a gallery on my website. Click this link to view them:
CLICK TO VIEW GUERSEY v YORKSHIRE SELECT DINNER BOXING

What a great showcase for Youth Sports the Junior Siam Cup was at Footes Lane.

It seemed that every flat space had a pitch laid out and the play was continuous. Age groups from U10 to U18 were all represented.

So much was happening that I really couldn't work out if Guernsey or Jersey had the upper hand!

Whilst the rivalry with our old adversaries, Jersey, played a big part in the event I actually think the real winner on the day was Youth Sport... amazing stuff!

I photographed a small part of the action and still managed to add over 300 photos to my website. Click the link to view them:
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF THE JUNIOR SIAM CUP

A few more photos of a Guernsey Athletics event.

This time it's the 'Seaside to Quayside' - it has a catchy title, eh!

The event is a new one for Guernsey Athletics and it offered a 5K road run from, you guessed it.... Jaonneuse Bay to Quayside.

I have uploaded a few photos of this well supported event:
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF SEASIDE TO QUAYSIDE

Supporting Guernsey FC this season has been a rollercoaster ride.

Sunday's game at Footes Lane once again kept us holding our breath until the last minute of play as GFC gave away their three goal lead at halftime!

But the guys did manage to hold onto a 3-3 draw giving them the one vital point needed to secure their place for next season. Well done guys.

So we have more to look forward to next year... if we can endure the ride!

I photographed the game and the photos are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GFC FOOTBALL PHOTOS

The evening events organised by Guernsey Athletics at Footes Lane offer the perfect mix of a relaxed schedule punctuated by the highs offered by the track races.

I visited last weeks Aztec Track & Field event and whilst there was an annoying chill in the air the early evening light was perfect for photography.

I've added a few of my photos to a new Gallery here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GUERNSEY ATHLETICS EVENING EVENT AT FOOTES LANE

I seem to build the same sense of anticipation and optimism every time I decide to spend some time photographing surfing. Admittingly this is only a couple of times a year but it's a sport that can make amazing photos.

I leave home imagining the scene that will greet me.... Sunny blue skies, incredible white waves contrasting with the deep blue-green sea. Perfect.

So on Saturday when I left home to photograph the Guernsey Surf Club's Longboard Championships and the sun was shining from a blue sky I was happy!

When I arrived at Portinfer the surf looked good to me.... a NON surfer! The guys surveying the scene were hopeful for a good competition but it was too early to enter the water.

Now this was a bit of a problem for me as I was due at the West Legion for a short photoshoot with a celebrity Darts player so I had to pop off down there.

Once that job was done and as I drove back up the west coast towards Portinfer it was clear the weather had turned. The sky had turned grey with a touch of sea mist. And then when I arrived at the bay the waves were nothing like I had dreamt about. In fact nothing was working out!

But I thought that I should still make the effort to salvage what I could from the event and I know that the next time I get the urge to photograph surfing I will once again leave home (having forgotten this frustration) keen and optimistic. Having a short memory can be a real bonus sometimes!!

My surfing photos are now online here. Please use your imagination (like me) when viewing them.... think blue skies, green sea and towering white waves!
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST SURFING COMPETITION PHOTOS

The GVC Downhill Racers hit the slopes of the Dos d'Ane on Sunday morning. Two courses had been laid out offering riders plenty of time in the saddle... well most of them. There were a couple of off's.

Luckily it seems that downhill racers bounce quite well... at least they did when I saw them!

So with the two courses and two runs on each the action was non-stop and filled the morning.

I've added a gallery featuring some of the action:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 2 OF THE GRAVITY SERIES

The Guernsey Badminton Association hosted the Sarnia Hotels 2024 Junior Open Tournament at the Rohais Centre a couple of weeks ago.

With titles covering age groups from U10 to U18 there was continuous action on the courts!

I spent a short while covering as much play as I could. The event report is in today's Guernsey Press Sport and those photos together with extras are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2024 JUNIOR OPEN BADMINTON TOURNAMENT

Sport is usually fast moving in its play but of course there will always be exceptions. I've yet to struggle to keep up with a game of Chess.

One of the many Sports that make it a little more challenging is Badminton. Not only is the play fast with exceptionally fast rackets it seems that the Badminton Halls have to be painted in quite dark greens. At least they are this colour at the Guernsey Badminton Centre.

The lighting is also high in the roof and really not that bright!

It obviously must work perfectly for players but photographers are really up against the worst of combinations.

This all came back to me when I was asked to cover the Guernsey Basketball Association's Easter Open Tournament.

It was fun following the competitive play... but maybe not quite so great taking photos. But I captured what was requested and the photos are now in a gallery here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2024 GBA EASTER OPEN TOURNAMENT

Sometimes... actually many times, I have a conflict between different events. This will always happen when there are so many things that I like to photograph.

This was a problem over the weekend as I was booked by the Guernsey Press to photograph the Guernsey Badminton Open Tournament at the Rohais Centre.

The conflict for me was that GFC were playing Ascot United at a similar start time.

So I was hopeful that the three main Badminton games that I had to photograph didn't over-run! And it must have been my lucky day as they were all over in time for me to pop down the road to Footes Lane for the footie!

I arrived as the second half started and I discovered that GFC were two goals down to the visitors.

Apparently the first half had been fairly quiet but things really began to liven up as GFC took the initiative. They had many chances to score and did manage two goals. But Ascot also scored two more making the result 2-4.

So sadly not the result GFC would have liked but plenty of action for this photographer to capture. My photos are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW GFC v ASCOT UNITED

The Boxfit 'Vegas Night' at Beau Sejour played to a full house so there was plenty of noise to support the action in the ring.

The evening is a successful and important fundraiser for the Cheshire Homes with additional charities benefitting from the fighters own sponsorship.

I photographed all eleven bouts and it has been a long haul completing the edit as so much other sport has been happening too.

But after a final push I've uploaded eleven new galleries featuring all the action. Click the link to view them:
CLICK TO VIEW THE BOXFIT 2024 VEGAS NIGHT

I've be lucky to spend the whole weekend photographing Sports in Guernsey. I think many people don't realise the variety and how much Sport is played every day on our Island.

Highlights for me were the Inter-insular Volleyball - nail biting to the end, the 2-Day Trials all over the Island, GVC Downhill Racing at Talbot Valley and the Boxfit night at Beau Sejour.... in fact I lost count of how many hours I was at Beausie!!

I'm working through the edit and the first photos are of the Gravity races. Click the link if you are interested:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 1 OF THE 2024 GVC GRAVITY SERIES

I think that Volleyball might have just become my favourite indoor Sport to photograph.

Maybe it's just that I don't get along to the Guernsey Volleyball events as much as I do some other Sports. But I think it's a bit more than that alone.

Volleyball is fast moving with play spread all around the court. It's often quite a challenge to keep up with the action! Because my work often has a repetitive side to it, a bit like most jobs I guess, I have built up a sort of 'muscle memory' of the photographic techniques needed for most Sports. This means that when photographing the 'unfamiliar' Volleyball I really need to work hard at capturing the best moments of action. It's fun and a challenge... and I love it!

So one of my New Years resolutions is now to visit the Volleyball courts a few more times in 2024.

I've uploaded photos of the weekends Inter-insular Volleyball games to the new website. Click the link to view them:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2024 INTER-INSULAR VOLLEYBALL

The Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club welcomed a Wales Select team to St Pierre Park Hotel for the March 2024 'Boxing at the Park'.

On this occasion the visitors proved to be too strong in depth across the bouts.

But the amount of split decisions illustrated how well the Guernseymen stood toe-to-toe with the Welshmen.

Here's a link to my photos if you are interested:
CLICK TO VIEW GUERNSEY v WALES SELECT DINNER BOXING

It is easier for supporters when your side isn't expected to win a game. No-one has any unrealistic hopes. This scenario will occur when the opposition heads the league whilst your team is placed somewhere in the middle.

Wednesday night at Footes Lane was one of those occasions. Guernsey FC welcomed Chertsey Town who were sitting pretty at the top of the Isthmian South Central League.

So having no real expectations we could just settle into watching a hopefully descent game. There were a few good moments but with no surprise a score of 2-6 brought home the reality. Having got that fixture out of the way GFC can put their energy into adding to their points against teams nearer to their own level.

I captured some of the action. Click the link to view the Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW GFC v CHERTSEY TOWN