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Guernsey ready for Touch World Cup

Guernsey ready for Touch World Cup

Friday 12 July 2024

Guernsey ready for Touch World Cup

Friday 12 July 2024


Guernsey will be represented by a Team and a Referee at next week’s Touch World Cup in Nottingham.

The sport’s biggest tournament will see 187 teams from 39 nations taking part across seven days.

Guernsey is entering the Mixed Open competition while Chris Wrigley has been invited to referee.

"The World Cup will bring together 4,000 players, referees, coaches and support staff and it will be a massive celebration of how popular the sport of Touch is," said Guernsey Touch Chair Hannah Dunnell.

"This is the second time that Guernsey has attended the World Cup and I know how hard they have been training, so we wish them luck.

"It's also fantastic that a Guernsey referee has been selected and it is testament to Chris' commitment to the sport that he has been asked to attend."

Wrigley will be part of a team of 193 referees and will be officiating between 15 and18 games starting from Monday afternoon.

"It's an honour to have been invited to ref at this tournament and I'd like to thank Dave Strawbridge who taught me how to ref in 2007, Steve Melbourne who has help me to get my fitness up, and especially to my family for their sacrifices they've made to enable me to go and referee at multiple tournaments."

After the opening ceremony on Monday, Guernsey will face Portugal and Wales on Tuesday, Malaysia and Lebanon on Wednesday and Papua New Guinea and Samoa on Thursday in the group stages.

Oliver Ward will captain the Guernsey Team and he is the only player who was also part of the 2011 Guernsey side, which won the Bowl competition.

He has more than 80 International Caps having represented the island every year since 2005.

"I have such amazing memories of the 2011 World Cup and I know how incredible it will be to be surrounded by thousands of players from across the world. It's been a challenge to train and be ready for the tournament as some our players have been in the UK but I know everyone is ready to fly the flag and represent their island,' said Ward.

The team - which has been coached by Ismail Slamang, who will represent his home nation of South Africa in the Men's 35's competition - includes Guernsey debuts from two players, Garth Owen, who takes to the field having coached the Guernsey Team at the Euros in 2023 but played at the World Cup in 2019 when he represented the Netherlands, and Danni King.

Guernsey Mixed Open Team:

Oliver Ward (c)
Mark Bristowe
Sam Crawford
Jacques Le Vallee
Megan De Garis (vc)
Wing Kueng Lai
Wing Kin Lai
Garth Owen
Chris Wray
Rebecca Toll
Hannah Wray
Shannon Jordan
Seb King
Christa Feltham
Chris Dawe
Danni King

Pictured top (l-r): Back Row, Wing Kueng Lai, Oliver Ward, Sam Crawford, Mark Bristowe, Garth Owen; front row, Christa Feltham, Shannon Jordan, Megan De Garis, Rebecca Toll, Danni King. Not Pictured: Wing Kin Lai, Jacques Le Vallee, Seb King, Chris Dawe, Hannah Wray, Chris Wray. 

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