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On Friday evening I photographed a Sport that I have somehow failed to give proper coverage to over the years.

And this Sport is actually one of the 'obvious' choices for a small Island. The sea is always just a short hop away wherever you might be in Guernsey.

Perhaps it's the fact that to achieve the best results a photographer needs to be on the water chasing the action. This demands some forward planning. I used to get out on the sea when Powerboat Racing was a big Sport and I really enjoyed that challenge. Maybe it's time to make the effort again?

Sadly I was assigned to cover the Guernsey Rowing Club's Havelet Bay race very late in the day and most of my shots are taken from dry land and at considerable distance. Even an 800mm lens was left wanting!

But it was still a pleasure to be out on a nice evening. My pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE HAVELET ROWING RACE

The 2023 football Muratti's were sad affairs from the Guernsey perspective.

Both the Guernsey Ladies and Men's squads left Footes Lane without a trophy to share between them.

In sport we have to face up to the reality that sometimes we simply aren't good enough on the day.

But there is also another reality and that is that if a team can 'bank' the experience that comes with losing and invest the pain into coming back stronger the next time then they will reap the reward. I'm sure Guernsey will dig deeper and train harder motivated by the ambition to win again.

It is a fact in every sport that over the years the team taking the glory changes. With that thought in mind the journey along the road to Guernsey holding the Muratti Trophys high again starts today!

Due to other assignments I only had time available to photograph the Ladies Muratti and my pics are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 LADIES MURATTI

With Guernsey hosting the Island Games this year and the countdown running fast every aspect of the games is coming together.

Meetings and training sessions are filling the calendar as so much has to be organized to make the games run smoothly. The target of all involved is to showcase what Guernsey can do. We've done it before and this time will be even better!

Part of the prep is for the different sports to test out how their events will run and this is what happened at Delancey Park on Sunday.

The GVC ran one of their Summer MTB XC championship races on the circuit that will be part of the Island Games MTB XC series.

Things looked good and I think the track offered a great mix of challenges. I worked at finding good spots to photograph from. Some worked, others less so.

It looks like I'm going to have to put more effort into my own performance too!

The countdown is running fast... and we all can't wait to get going!

My pics of the MTB racing are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW RACE 2 OF THE SUMMER MTB XC SERIES

Sadly this can't be said about every (many) Sports that meet our old Jersey rivals in an Inter-insular..

But that makes it even sweeter when we knock them out of the park... four times!

Well done to all four Guernsey Basketball teams for your wins over the visiting Crapos.

Every team played with full commitment and proved their dominance over the Jersey opposition!

OK maybe I should stop the crowing about the success.... if I really have to!!

I've added new galleries featuring some of the action and atmosphere here:
CLICK TO VIEW SOME OF THE 2023 BASKETBALL INTER-INSULARS

As time passes and memories fade Guernsey's Liberation Day celebrations have changed. And for 2023, May the 9th felt more like a traditional Bank Holiday.

Parishes took different approaches to how they would mark the day. Some made an effort, others didn't.

St Andrews left the entertainment to The Last Post and that is where I headed. A tradition has been established by the Pub to promote a lineup of live acts on May 9th and this has proved to be a popular draw for music lovers.

The 2023 edition featured some of the recent new local favorites.

It was a shame the weather was dull and at times damp but the hardcore of the local music scene are not easily put off!

I've added a small gallery featuring some of the performances:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 LIBERATION DAY BANDS

Once again Ronez opened Les Vardes Quarry for a charity event titled 'MTB Mayhem'. What a great name!

The guys had certainly been busy laying out multiple features in the Quarry including the biggest berm I've ever seen, huge piles of gravel, twisting routes through piles of boulders and much more!

I came away from the event impressed and pleased that such a thing can still be organized in this Health and Safety dominated world.

It was satisfying and a pleasure to see - predominantly young (and many young at heart) people having fun in what was certainly a potentially dangerous environment. I saw a couple of people 'stack it' but they got up, dusted themselves off (there was a lot of dust!) and carried on!

Some of the features were definitely a bit risky but the youngsters were trusted to know their own limits and supervision was minimal.

I realized that this event offered a look back to how things used to be for people of my generation (born in the fifties). Back then as kids we jumped on our bikes and explored our limitations. Of course we sometimes got home with blooded knees and elbows but our parents just accepted it as something that happens.

They trusted us to know how far we pushed our luck... and it was fun and character building. It's nice to know that the youth of today, when given the chance, haven't changed a bit!

Thank you Ronez... you make the best playgrounds ever!!
I captured some of the fun. Take a look here:
CLICK TO VIEW RONEZ MAYHEM 2023

What I love about my job is that I am able to capture a fleeting moment of action or drama and preserve it. Not in a bottle but in the form of an image.

The result is always unique and will literally freeze a moment of time.

Many times this 'snapshot' is just that, nothing more. For anyone without an association with the event the pic is probably irrelevant!

But I have grown to realize that for someone with a link to the image the 'record' of the moment can mean something really special.

As time goes by and memories fade it is that captured image of a moment that can help someone recall a special feeling, excitement, emotion or thrill.

When thinking about my work in that way it feels more than just a job... and I know I'm privileged to be able to do this as my work.

.... and after that rather deep and thoughtful comment? I've just added another 148 captured moments in time to the latest Sandracing Gallery!

View them here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST SANDRACING PICS

I was dragged from my bed for a customary early start to a sports event.

This comes for a good reason as the riders competing in a GVC road time trial really don't need to be hindered by vehicles. So it was a 7am start to this event. But I had a plan to be a couple of miles along the course to give me the best angle to capture the action. So the alarm was set at 05.45!

I may have mentioned this before in one of my Blogs that my 'time' is more Rock'n'roll than farmer Jones. Early mornings are not a favorite feature for me. But (almost) every time I make an effort to rise with the sun I realize that I might be missing the best part of the day!

Just as well as on Tuesday I have to be out for another GVC event... yes it's another 7am start!

For now I've just uploaded pics of the 10TT. Click the link to view them:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC 10TT

As the headline says... Motorsport in the sun is great fun!

After the damp start to the 2023 Hillclimb season yesterdays offering was much more like it!

It was dry all day at Le Val des Terres and the sun made a pretty good showing too. So I enjoyed the outing as much as the racers.

The records didn't drop in any number which at first I was a little surprised by but after talking to a couple of the faster drivers I learnt that the new tyres supplied this season (by a new manufacturer) will take a little getting used to.

So I'm sure there is more to come yet, but for now that'll do nicely.

All my pics of the racing are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST GMC&CC HILLCLIMB

When I arrive at St Pierre Park Hotel to photograph an evening of Dinner Boxing only to be told that the two headlining Bouts had been cancelled I am allowed to be a little disappointed!

But I needn't have been. The April Guernsey Dinner Boxing Club night still produced some great entertainment with ten hard fought contests.

The visiting team was from Liverpool and they proved to be very strong.

Bout 11 was due to feature one of the Dinner Boxing Club's favorites, Tom Teers, but sadly his opponent failed to get to Guernsey.

The top Bout of the night was to be a send-off for Billy Le Poullain but I think one of the fighters picked up an injury so that didn't happen either. Maybe sometime soon?

But as I said there was still plenty of action and this Gallery is where to look:
CLICK TO VIEW THE APRIL 2023 DINNER BOXING PICS

I've been catching up with the edit of a couple of photo-shoots.

The latest update features the Guernsey Velo Club's Summer Cross Country event last weekend at L'Ancresse over the Island Games course.

This was a great chance to recce the route... for competitors and photographers too!

There was a good variety of features to challenge riders combining some tight and technical sections then moving on to open sections of the Common. All this was with a beautiful backdrop of L'Ancresse Common and Pembroke Bay.

We have fingers crossed that the day of the Island Games race is bright and sunny as it will be a fantastic setting for a large crowd of spectators. See you all then.... in the sun?!

My pics are online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE L'ANCRESSE ISLAND GAMES XC COURSE

There was some pretty spectacular racing on the Vazon beach sands today at the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club meeting.

The bike classes produced some close racing but I think the most impressive moment was during a car race.

Steve Marquis, Andy Rosamond and Jamie Queripel were all abreast as they approached the wet bend. Steve had the benefit of the inside line and he wasn't in the mood to give away the advantage so he threw his Ford Focus into a massive drift maintaining his speed whilst negotiating the bend... and missing the tires marking the corner. Great work.

My pics of the racing are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW RACE 3 OF THE SAND RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

I think the edit of the Lock-in 7 pics rate amongst the biggest that I've done.

The numbers probably rival how many shots I have taken at a three-day music festival covering different stages, a couple of dozen bands together with shots of the atmosphere all spread over many days/hours!

During the Lock-in edit I wondered why I took quite so many pics (over a thousand)... but then when I looked at them the action really was non-stop.... even though the contests only lasted for a maximum of three two minute rounds. Total six minutes!!

But at the end of the day I'm really pleased that I was able to give such a complete coverage.

Also I must say that I really appreciate the amazing support shown by the fighters who have purchased Digital files, prints and Canvases. Thank you.

The final bouts together with the Ring Girls and the Atmosphere have new Galleries here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE COMPLETED LOCK-IN 7 GALLERIES

Cage & Stage Productions returned to Beau Sejour after a few years break with another Lock-in event. This one was No.7 and the best yet!

The evening consisted of fourteen bouts in front of a capacity - and noisy crowd.

The action was non-stop and I was as fatigued as the boxers after chasing the best action shots all night - both up the ladder and through the cage. This was both a challenge and great fun!

These Galleries feature all the Bouts and a feel for the atmosphere. I hope you like them.

PLEASE NOTE that these pics are here for you to LOOK AT - NOT copy/steal for your profiles.

There are options to purchase Digital files which will be higher resolution than the Gallery pics and without the big watermark.

Another way to remember the night is with a print or an amazing Canvas!

Photography is my only income. Please respect that, thanks.

Follow this link to view the very best of Lock-in 7.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF LOCK-IN 7

I popped over to Jersey to photograph the School of Popular Music Easter Elementary Gig at Chambers followed the next day by the students Busking in St Helier.

Whilst this was a new venture for the Jersey branch of SoPM it was soon clear to me that the ethos and ambitions are exactly like the longer established Guernsey School. The teaching is led by a talented and enthusiastic team who encourage the students to try hard and fulfill their ambitions.

There was the same excitement in the young performers and they all felt a great sense of achievement after performing on a 'real' stage and then out on the streets of St Helier.

I can highly recommend SoPM to all parents. You will see your children's confidence grow and it is a great way for them to make new friends and develop new skills.

This Gallery features some of the performances:
CLICK TO VIEW THE NEW SoPM JERSEY EASTER EVENTS

The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club hosted a 2-Day Motocross event including an Inter-Insular competition at the Pleinmont Motocross track on 8th and 9th April 2023.

The racing was close and exciting for the crowd that gathered to enjoy the bright conditions. I reckon we all needed a shower afterwards due to the clouds of dust lifted by the riders!

I've added a huge Gallery of pics featuring loads of the action.... but please remember that they are copyrighted and NOT free to copy.

Maybe you can support my work by purchasing a pic or two? Thanks.

This is a link to the Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 2-DAY MOTOCROSS MEETING

The 2023 Guernsey Hillclimb season left the startline at the Easter Monday hillclimb organised by the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club at Le Val des Terres.

Frustratingly for competitors there was a wet start to the day and as damp patches remained all day in the esses overall times were affected.

So we all look forward and hope for the perfect track conditions next time. Fingers and spanners crossed!

I still managed to catch loads of the action and a new Gallery is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GMC&CC EASTER HILLCLIMB ACTION

Easter comes with many traditions attached.

One of those is the annual Keith Falla Memorial Cross Country.

This year the entry seemed as big as ever for the full course laid out around L'Ancresse Common.

It's a couple of years since I was assigned to cover this event and it was great to see that it is still well supported.

My pics of the run can be viewed by clicking on this link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 KEITH FALLA MEMORIAL XC

The Guernsey Under 15's squad didn't shine in the 2023 Star Trophy Inter-island football on Sunday.

Jersey visited Footes Lane to play Guernsey for the prestigious Trophy.

Sadly for the local side the score went against them with a final result recorded as 0-2.

However perhaps this score didn't fully represent the amount of good play produced by the Guernsey team. Maybe they lacked the last bit of skill to level the score but they didn't let their Island down. They kept up their spirits and continued to work hard right to the final whistle.

Sometimes it simply isn't meant to happen!

I've added my pics to a new Gallery here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE U!5 STAR TROPHY

It was just what you expect from Kart racing... close and competitive right the way to the checkered flag!

I popped down to The Track to photograph some of the action in Round 3 of the GK&MC Championship.

The pics are online here if you are interested:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 3 OF THE 2023 KART CHAMPIONSHIP