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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.

As the new season gets closer we caught up with the man who masterminded last years promotion, Jordan Reynolds. Last season was an amazing success, what do you think gave you the edge?  There are many factors that contribute to a successful season, hard work, commitment and even luck. We had a fair amount of all of that, but overall, we were consistently able to adapt our game to find a winning formula in games.  We assume the team had a well-earned rest over the summer? If only! The boys have had 5 weeks off and are were back into pre-season in July.  Pre-season is an important time for the team, a time where we start to make the big gains ready for the 18/19 Nat 2S season.  How do you think the team will respond to last years promotion? The players and coaching staff are excited about the opportunity to compete at such a high level. National 2 will definitely be a higher standard than we have ever played before, but that just means we need to work harder and embrace the challenges ahead.  How are you planning to deal with the travel challenges for next year’s fixtures?  Travel has always been the nature of the beast when playing for Guernsey, if you want to play sport at a high level then crossing the sea comes with it. Fortunately, our players have had some practice over the years, but National 2 will offer up a few different obstacles than before. There is the possibility of having a few stay-over games in places like Bristol, although not ideal there are many worse places I could think of for us to be staying in. Guernsey Raiders kick-start their season on the 1st September against Old Albanians. The first home game of the season is the following week against Worthing. Fletcher Sports is the only place to get official Raiders merchandise.  Available online and in-store. 

Always fancied yourself a bit of a rugby star? Well, last week we threw our very own Kai in at the rugby deep end and he joined Guernsey’s own Guernsey Raiders at one of their practice sessions! Keen footballer, Kai decided to switch posts and tackle a rugby practice with the Guernsey Raiders. The team are always in our shop picking up new bits of kit and replacement for items looking a bit tired from all the wear and tear - so what better way to find out what the team (and our kit!) really go through then by joining a training session? Not for the fainthearted, the team were not going to let Kai get away with observing from the sidelines! Watch our video to check out the team and Kai in action, hear from the players and even see drone footage of their practice!   It was fantastic for us to get behind the scenes and find out just how hard our Guernsey Raiders work. The physio was on the sidelines making sure the players where in peak condition and key to the training session was communication. The players were constantly talking and shouting to each other on the field, adjusting positions and making sure they moved as one. They worked together as an impressive unit and we could see exactly why they do so well on game days!   Dont forget you can get all your official Raiders kit at Fletcher Sports both in-store and online