Siam celebrations continue all weekend

Tuesday 08 May 2018

Guernsey's rugby teams have spent the bank holiday weekend celebrating what is believed to have been the first clean sweep in the competition's history.

Guernsey's Ladies, Vets, 2nds and 1st teams all won their respective inter insulars against Jersey with the Raiders lifting the Siam Cup for the first time since 2008.

Chris Gnapp, spokesman for the Raiders, said the win gave them good cause for celebration.

"The final score of 46 to Guernsey and 30 to Jersey means we've got the Siam Cup for the first time in ten years" he said, adding that the Sarnian men were in control for most of the thrilling game at Footes Lane on Saturday 5 May.

"Jersey had a real spell at the start of the second half, but I think we scored the first points in the second half but then Jersey had a 15 minute spell where they looked really good. and we actually stopped them from scoring perhaps as many points as they should have done and I think that's probably what turned the game because then we came off and we had our spell then and we actually converted it in to tries and into points. I think that was probably the difference between the two sides on the day."

Mr Gnapp said the Siam Cup wins will bring a number of benefits for rugby in Guernsey in general.

The Guernsey ladies beat Jersey 40 nil, but they had a tough season in the league Mr Gnapp said. "Relegated back down but they won promotion a year ago from that league and they'll go up again I'm sure" he said, "but for the rest of the club, a clean sweep in the Siam, all four teams beating Jersey, I think that's the first time that's happened, certainly that I can remember for either side. For us to be able to do that in front of a huge crowd has capped off what's been an amazing season."

For the Guernsey Ladies team it was their seventh Siam win in a row with the largest home points score in recent memory. The 2nds won their game with a try in the final moments of the game giving the crowd at Footes Lane more to cheer.

When the men's 1st team took to the pitch the crowd was already in a buoyant mood and they weren't disappointed.

The celebrations started immediately for the Raiders and continued throughout the bank holiday weekend.

As temperatures hit record highs the men's team were seen at Cobo Bay enjoying the Balcony Gig with cheers of support from the crowds there. The Siam Cup was being feted as it returned to Guernsey hands for the first time in a decade.