Australia to leave OFC for Asian federation

[shedite]

No sign of Sark making an appearance at the island games?

http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~mcruic/SARK.htm

Nice record at '03 games....

Played 4
Won 0
Drew 0
Lost 4
Scored 0
Conceded 70

03-07-2003 - Frøya 15 - 0 Sark - Island Games * in Alderney
01-07-2003 - Greenland 16 - 0 Sark - Island Games * in Guernsey
30-06-2003 - Isle of Wight 20 - 0 Sark - Island Games * in Guernsey
29-06-2003 - Gibraltar 19 - 0 Sark - Island Games * in Guernsey


:D :D :D

[Réiteoir]

sland dream sunk by tidal wave of goals
By Russell Kempson
Sark have just lost 19-0 to Gibraltar. But are they dispirited?

LEON BURLETSON, THE SARK goalkeeper, had had a stormer by all accounts. Sure, he needed a few slices of good fortune — after all, Isle of Wight had struck the woodwork six times and had a goal disallowed. Yet, time after time, Burletson had made save after save, even managing to keep out two penalties. It was heroic stuff.

In the end, though, it was in vain. Sark lost 20-0 and the match stats were grisly: Isle of Wight had 47 shots on target, 37 off target and forced 24 corners; Sark’s tally amounted to 0, 0 and 0. Richie Newbury, Burletson’s counterpart, had touched the ball once, from an overhit clearance. The 2003 Island Games, held on Guernsey, had become a trial not by fire but by raging inferno.

Burletson, 20, looks back not in anger. It was a summer of huge content for the 6ft 3in gardener, when he became an international player and starred alongside his fellow dreamers from Gotland and Greenland, Shetland and Orkney. Sark (pop: 550), the smallest of the competing nations, had played their part. And it made everything worthwhile, even the 70 goals conceded in four matches.

“It got a bit depressing by the end of the game, a bit soul-destroying,” Burletson said, “but we never let it get us down, we never dropped our heads. I think we were a little unlucky, actually. All we needed was a bit more experience. I’d love to lead that sort of life all the time. It was just great to be there. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Sark had opened the biennial tournament inauspiciously, losing 19-0 to Gibraltar in their qualifying group. Rowan Gill, the first-choice goalkeeper, then had to withdraw because of injury before the Isle of Wight whipping. Burletson again replaced him for the third match, against Greenland, and, despite the 16-0 defeat, felt more at ease with the world.

“I probably played better than in my first game,” he said. “Greenland needed to beat us by 21 to progress past the Isle of Wight and all the Wight boys were supporting us from the touchline. They cheered every tackle, every goalline clearance, and we effectively knocked Greenland out of the competition. That was something.” Shane Moon, the Sark coach, recalled Gill for their final fixture — “I tore a muscle at the top of my leg,” Burletson said, “probably from taking so many goal kicks” — and his side signed off with a 15-0 loss against mighty Froya, a speck off the west coast of Norway. The flight of fantasy was over.

Sark have no delusions of grandeur. They had trained for eight months on their sloping pitch next to The Mermaid pub — mostly under the guidance of Moon, when he could afford the £20.50 return boat trip from Guernsey — and sacrificed a week’s pay to compete in the Island Games. It cost Burletson about £300 in lost wages.

Traditional antipathy — inhabitants of Guernsey often refer to their neighbours as “a load of drunks hanging off a rock” — was cast aside and the happy band of tractor mechanics, engineers, barmen and carpenters received a rousing reception wherever they pitched up. “A woman from Switzerland keeps phoning me,” Moon said. “She says we’re the only international side that she hasn’t got a team photo of. Us? An international side? It’s marvellous.”

Reality has kicked in, too. On the three-mile-long, 1½-mile-wide outcrop, the last feudal state in Europe, on which cars are banned and the bicycle and horse are the favourite modes of transport, it is back to work. Barrie Dewsbury had kept his younger team-mates going from midfield — he is 52 — but has returned to the building site.

“We tried to score and had the chances,” Dewsbury said, “but when they came along, we’d worked so hard defending that we had no energy left to take them. No one knew what to expect beforehand and, yes, I did wonder at times what I’d got myself into. But we got a great response from everyone and, no, it hasn’t really changed my life.”

The Games had their controversy. Wendy Toms, the former Premier League assistant referee, sent off four Rhodes players in their game against Guernsey. When she issued a fifth red card, the match had to be abandoned. “It wasn’t her fault,” Dave Dorey, the former chief executive officer of the Guernsey FA, said. “The Rhodes lads lost it.” The Isle of Man lost it, too, beaten 3-1 by Guernsey in a final watched by a crowd of 6,000.

Sark were beaten heavily, four times, but were enriched by the exposure, on and off the pitch. Sadly, the expense is likely to prevent them from entering again, when the Games reconvene on Shetland in 2005. “I’ll be 54 then, anyway,” Dewsbury said. “I’m not sure that I’ll be able to make it.”

POOR RELATIONS

The likes of Steven Gerrard and David James earn millions. Compare that with their Sark counterparts . . .

BARRIE DEWSBURY

Position: Midfield
Age: 52
Football experience: Huddersfield Town schoolboy, Nottinghamshire Under-18s, Retford Town, Sutton Town
Honours: Midland League Cup winner
International caps: 4
Profession: Builder, former PE teacher

LEON BURLETSON

Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 20
Football experience: Arundel FC
Honours: Arundel youth team goalkeeper-of-the-year award
International caps: 2
Profession: Gardener

[hamish]

sland dream sunk by tidal wave of goals
By Russell Kempson
Sark have just lost 19-0 to Gibraltar. But are they dispirited?

LEON BURLETSON, THE SARK goalkeeper, had had a stormer by all accounts. Sure, he needed a few slices of good fortune — after all, Isle of Wight had struck the woodwork six times and had a goal disallowed. Yet, time after time, Burletson had made save after save, even managing to keep out two penalties. It was heroic stuff.

In the end, though, it was in vain. Sark lost 20-0 and the match stats were grisly: Isle of Wight had 47 shots on target, 37 off target and forced 24 corners; Sark’s tally amounted to 0, 0 and 0. Richie Newbury, Burletson’s counterpart, had touched the ball once, from an overhit clearance. The 2003 Island Games, held on Guernsey, had become a trial not by fire but by raging inferno.

Burletson, 20, looks back not in anger. It was a summer of huge content for the 6ft 3in gardener, when he became an international player and starred alongside his fellow dreamers from Gotland and Greenland, Shetland and Orkney. Sark (pop: 550), the smallest of the competing nations, had played their part. And it made everything worthwhile, even the 70 goals conceded in four matches.

“It got a bit depressing by the end of the game, a bit soul-destroying,” Burletson said, “but we never let it get us down, we never dropped our heads. I think we were a little unlucky, actually. All we needed was a bit more experience. I’d love to lead that sort of life all the time. It was just great to be there. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Sark had opened the biennial tournament inauspiciously, losing 19-0 to Gibraltar in their qualifying group. Rowan Gill, the first-choice goalkeeper, then had to withdraw because of injury before the Isle of Wight whipping. Burletson again replaced him for the third match, against Greenland, and, despite the 16-0 defeat, felt more at ease with the world.

“I probably played better than in my first game,” he said. “Greenland needed to beat us by 21 to progress past the Isle of Wight and all the Wight boys were supporting us from the touchline. They cheered every tackle, every goalline clearance, and we effectively knocked Greenland out of the competition. That was something.” Shane Moon, the Sark coach, recalled Gill for their final fixture — “I tore a muscle at the top of my leg,” Burletson said, “probably from taking so many goal kicks” — and his side signed off with a 15-0 loss against mighty Froya, a speck off the west coast of Norway. The flight of fantasy was over.

Sark have no delusions of grandeur. They had trained for eight months on their sloping pitch next to The Mermaid pub — mostly under the guidance of Moon, when he could afford the £20.50 return boat trip from Guernsey — and sacrificed a week’s pay to compete in the Island Games. It cost Burletson about £300 in lost wages.

Traditional antipathy — inhabitants of Guernsey often refer to their neighbours as “a load of drunks hanging off a rock” — was cast aside and the happy band of tractor mechanics, engineers, barmen and carpenters received a rousing reception wherever they pitched up. “A woman from Switzerland keeps phoning me,” Moon said. “She says we’re the only international side that she hasn’t got a team photo of. Us? An international side? It’s marvellous.”

Reality has kicked in, too. On the three-mile-long, 1½-mile-wide outcrop, the last feudal state in Europe, on which cars are banned and the bicycle and horse are the favourite modes of transport, it is back to work. Barrie Dewsbury had kept his younger team-mates going from midfield — he is 52 — but has returned to the building site.

“We tried to score and had the chances,” Dewsbury said, “but when they came along, we’d worked so hard defending that we had no energy left to take them. No one knew what to expect beforehand and, yes, I did wonder at times what I’d got myself into. But we got a great response from everyone and, no, it hasn’t really changed my life.”

The Games had their controversy. Wendy Toms, the former Premier League assistant referee, sent off four Rhodes players in their game against Guernsey. When she issued a fifth red card, the match had to be abandoned. “It wasn’t her fault,” Dave Dorey, the former chief executive officer of the Guernsey FA, said. “The Rhodes lads lost it.” The Isle of Man lost it, too, beaten 3-1 by Guernsey in a final watched by a crowd of 6,000.

Sark were beaten heavily, four times, but were enriched by the exposure, on and off the pitch. Sadly, the expense is likely to prevent them from entering again, when the Games reconvene on Shetland in 2005. “I’ll be 54 then, anyway,” Dewsbury said. “I’m not sure that I’ll be able to make it.”

POOR RELATIONS

The likes of Steven Gerrard and David James earn millions. Compare that with their Sark counterparts . . .

BARRIE DEWSBURY

Position: Midfield
Age: 52
Football experience: Huddersfield Town schoolboy, Nottinghamshire Under-18s, Retford Town, Sutton Town
Honours: Midland League Cup winner
International caps: 4
Profession: Builder, former PE teacher

LEON BURLETSON

Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 20
Football experience: Arundel FC
Honours: Arundel youth team goalkeeper-of-the-year award
International caps: 2
Profession: Gardener


What a brilliant report Reiteoir = where in God's name did you get it??

Really enjoyed reading that - utterly uplifting.

Can we have more please. :)

[holidaysong]

What a brilliant report Reiteoir = where in God's name did you get it??

Really enjoyed reading that - utterly uplifting.

Can we have more please. :)

I'll second that - great stuff :)

[hamish]

Thanks for all the Cosmos info lads. The guy who gave me the Cosmos sticker was an Aussie teacher who was involved with them. He was really enthusiastic about them and so positive for their future and that was only 6 years ago.
Feel really sorry for him.

I hate to see it when things go wrong like that - all the enthusiasm and hard work coming to nothing. :(

[Réiteoir]

I'll second that - great stuff :)

It appeared in the Telegraph in July two years ago.

The next Island Games are next month - absolutely love the Games - gives the small islands around the world something to aim and compete for.

I still have the video of the final from Guernsey (which they broadcast live on BBC CI - to the whole of the Channel Islands) somewhere around.

I'll post anything I see from this year's competition in here.

[Réiteoir]

Published 28/5/2005

Rhodes out of Games

by Gareth Le Prevost

THE battle of the Corbet Field will not be repeated in Shetland this summer.

To the benefit of Guernsey’s footballers, Rhodes have withdrawn from both of the NatWest Island Games football tournaments, although it is unclear why.

In the men’s event, the composition of Guernsey’s group has not been affected, but the fixtures have had to be rescheduled due to transport arrangements.

Rather than having their ‘rest day’ on the opening Sunday, Guernsey will open against Orkney that day and then play Western Isles on Monday.

Tuesday will now be a free day before the group fixtures against Greenland and Ynys Mon on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Play-offs will take place on Friday as usual.

Guernsey manager Steve Ogier has happy that his players will have a break during the week.

‘We have got the rest day in-between games and that’s a great help,’ he said. ‘We have now got the two weaker teams first followed by Greenland and Ynys Mon whereas we were due to have Greenland first [before the fixtures were revised]. I am not overly surely what standard the weaker sides will be and we do not want to come unstuck.

‘The important thing is to get the right results. Whichever [of the fixture lists] you look at, it could be awkward.’

Organisers have now changed the women’s competition from a two-group format to a straight round-robin with all six remaining islands playing each other throughout the week.

‘In effect, both our men’s and women’s squad have benefited because the women are now assured five games during the week,’ Mark Vidamour, the GFA IG co-ordinator said.

GIGA secretary Roy Martel understands that Rhodes have also pulled out of the volleyball tournament. The Shetland Games management were unavailable to confirm this yesterday.

[hamish]

It appeared in the Telegraph in July two years ago.

The next Island Games are next month - absolutely love the Games - gives the small islands around the world something to aim and compete for.

I still have the video of the final from Guernsey (which they broadcast live on BBC CI - to the whole of the Channel Islands) somewhere around.

I'll post anything I see from this year's competition in here.

Reiteoir - what would we do without you, man?? That's another Footieperson invited to Sir Hamish Estate and Country Club - better get more wine and beer for the fridge - drank nearly all of it after Saturday.

Have BBC Channel Islands on my Sky Other Channels thingamajig - must keep an eye out for it.

[Réiteoir]

THE battle of the Corbet Field will not be repeated in Shetland this summer.

And this is the incident that occurred in 2003 that has led to the Rhodes withdrawal this year:



Rhodes football team apologises

The Rhodes men's football team has announced it is pulling out of the Island Games.

The team has also apologised for the chaos caused at Tuesday night's hotly-contested match between Rhodes and Guernsey, when five Greek players and their manager were ordered off the pitch.

The Island Games Association Court of Appeal has confirmed the decision to award the fixture to Guernsey was correct.

The Rhodes team has withdrawn from the match and players and officials who were removed at the match will not be allowed to compete in any future Island Games football fixtures.

Ugly scenes

The Rhodes Football Association has also been told to control spectators properly when the Ladies' match is played.

It is not yet known whether Tuesday night's events will affect the decision to award the 2007 Island Games to Rhodes.

The Guernsey versus Rhodes semi-final qualifier was abandoned midway through the second half with Guernsey winning 2-1.

Referee Wendy Toms was left with no alternative after she had sent off the five Rhodes players, leaving the Greek side with less than the minimum number required on the pitch.

Ugly scenes had developed during the second half, when the Rhodes players were dismissed.

Guernsey's Ryan Tippett was also sent off earlier in the first half.

Several police officers attended the Corbet Field ground, and there is likely to be an inquiry into the abandonment.

Commentary here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/39233000/rm/_39233102_footie_fiasco.ram

[Réiteoir]

Reiteoir - what would we do without you, man??

Have BBC Channel Islands on my Sky Other Channels thingamajig - must keep an eye out for it.

Keep an eye out on BBC Scotland and the Scottish ITV regions as well - I'm sure they'll cover it - as will the ITV Channel Islands franchise - Channel TV I'm sure

[hamish]

Keep an eye out on BBC Scotland and the Scottish ITV regions as well - I'm sure they'll cover it - as will the ITV Channel Islands franchise - Channel TV I'm sure

Will do Sir!!