Fletcher Sports is incredibly proud of Guernsey's local sporting scene and believe it deserves as much exposure as it can get. Each month we will be crowning our local Team of the Month as a way of celebrating achievements of all kinds. This month we have chosen the Source touch rugby team, which recently took part in the Dragoni Touch Tournament in Milan, finishing an impressive 2nd. We caught up with team captain Harry Burns to find out a little bit more...
What previous experience have you had as a team before this tournament?
Source has been running a team in the Guernsey Touch League for a while now, so some of us have played together for years, winning the league on multiple occasions in mixed, men’s and women’s. Even though lots of players who joined us on this trip haven’t played in a Source shirt for long, we adapted and played extremely well together. Admittedly we also did some additional training before the tournament, to get used to each other’s play styles and see how we could all merge together to become more effective.
What were your thoughts on the tournament and how the Source team played?
Well before the tournament admittedly I was nervous, as it was the first time Source had competed internationally and I had the responsibility of being captain. But as the tournament started we set a high example and played exceptionally in the group stages, including a 10-0 victory. This set us to be the second highest scoring team of the day, allowing us to skip the quarterfinals and go straight through to the semi-finals. In this game we fought hard to come away with a 5-2 win, setting us off to the finals versus the Milan home team who finished above us on scores in the group rounds. Unfortunately, we lost out in the final 6-3 to a strong team with some Italian internationals. But overall, I can look back at the tournament with pride as the team played incredibly and hoping to see Source enter more international tournaments in the future.
As a captain, how did you try and keep the team morale going?
In all honesty, it wasn’t hard, as all the team seemed to enjoy the games and enjoy winning obviously. Also, the team was built with highly-motivated sports individuals anyway, including individuals from the Guernsey Rugby Ladies’ team. But for me, one of the key ways of keeping a constant message is having pre-match warm-ups together as a team, as well as having a post-match team overview so we can all discuss what we thought of the game and how we can improve. I also try to encourage all team members to not be afraid to come and talk to me, if they want to talk to me about something they want to change.
Why is touch such a good sport and why should people get involved?
Touch is one of the fastest growing sports in Guernsey, with multiple opportunities for both genders. In 2018, Guernsey sent two teams to the European Touch Championships. Both the women’s and men’s played very well, including the men finishing Guernsey’s best rank of 6th in Europe. One of the key attractions is that it doesn’t have the physicality that rugby union does but relies more so on the aerobic ability of the players.
With more than 375 members, the social side of touch is also a huge benefit, with the likes of end of season parties and trips away together, like Milan. You can easily get involved, just contact Guernsey touch at the guernseytouch.org.gg website.
If you think your local team deserves our Team Of The Month award get in touch with us and let us know.