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Running Remixed - sign up now for our exclusive On running and Tri Fitness night   On 3 May at 6pm we will be holding an exclusive On running and Tri Fitness session in Town where you can get the exclusive opportunity to try out On running shoes in this one of a kind 'try before you buy night'!   A great evening, join us for a short fitness session including a short run as well as a fitness session with Tri Fitness - all whilst you get to try out a great pair of On running shoes, before returning to Fletcher Sports for a much-needed pizza refuel.    Spaces are limited to a maximum of 30 people, so hurry to sign up now before you miss out. To find out more or to secure your space email ben@fletchersports.co.uk or send us a Facebook message. Please also let us know your shoe and clothing size in advance so we can get your kit ready! 

Here at Fletcher Sports, we are very proud of all the Guernsey sports teams we support - and what better way to get to know them better than to join in a practice?   In the run-up to the  Netball Inter-Insulars we sent our very own Kai off to train with the Guernsey Panthers and, phew, did they put him through his paces!   A fast and furious game, netball demands not only pinpoint precision but also bags of puff and stamina.    Watch our video and find out how the Panthers train, what the latest news on the team is and just how quickly Kai realises he is going to need to dig deep to keep up - and that was just the warm-ups! It was great to see the Panthers in action and we were thoroughly impressed with their amazing fitness levels and dedication to training. Guernsey Netball is also fantastic at getting youngsters into the sport with teams starting with Under 11s and going all the way up to Under 19.   Best of luck for the Inter-Insular Panthers - we'll be cheering you on all the way!   Don't forget you can get all your official Panthers kit at Fletcher Sports both in-store and online   

At Fletcher Sports we support all things active on Guernsey and are very proud of the sports teams on our island who are always punching above their weight. One of these great teams is the Guernsey cricket team which in recent years has started to broaden its horizons and play in bigger international leagues. We caught up with Ashley Wright, Head of Cricket. Ashley started playing the sport when he was just 13 and his love of the game has never left him. He has worked as a coach for many years, including with Surrey CCC, Sussex CCC and is about to embark on his third year with Guernsey. Last year Guernsey suffered a narrow defeat to Jersey, the question on everybody’s lips is can we beat them this year? Last season’s defeat to Jersey was bittersweet for me. I thought that we played some excellent cricket in parts and it showed the progression that we have made as a batting unit. Unfortunately, a better team beat us on the day. However, our team continues to progress and although we are the underdogs, I truly believe that we can beat Jersey if we play to our potential. How does it feel to be playing on a much bigger and more international stage? It’s always great to see how passionate the players are when representing their island. I am especially impressed with how dedicated they are and how much time and effort they put in to make Guernsey proud.   We have heard that training can be quite intense for the team - from practice, fitness and diet as well - can you tell us a bit more? Coming from a professional background, the training side has been one of the hardest things to get right. Getting the balance between professional and amateur is particularly tricky.  When the lads train, they train like professionals but the biggest difference in the amount of contact time. Our players all have jobs and families to juggle alongside the need to work hard to improve. Sometimes we get the balance wrong but it’s very important that when we train, we train properly and hard. What do you think the biggest challenge will be for the team in the upcoming season? As individuals, we have a goal for constant improvement and as a team, we have three performance goals. This season the goal is to gain promotion in the T20 European WCQ and win the inter-insular. We also want to get back into WCL 5 in 2 years time. Do you think we have enough young players waiting in the wings to keep up the team’s momentum? We are lucky that a majority of our squad is young enough to play for the next ten years. This will give time for the next batch of cricketers in our new system to come through. The hard thing with Guernsey with such tight immigration laws is that we don’t get many cricketers coming to the island unlike other associate nations. I think for such a small island with a small number of cricketers to choose from, we massively overachieve. This doesn’t mean that we don’t want to keep progressing but the challenges are getting harder each year. What do you think is the best way for kids to start playing cricket and how should Guernsey be encouraging this? For me, fun is the most important factor when starting to play any sport. It is also important to keep challenging the players so that they improve and continue to enjoy the sport. We have started a new future stars program for the 5-12 year olds. The aim is to get everyone involved by letting all the kids have a go at batting, bowling and just trying things out for themselves. We want the kids to have a go at everything and enjoy themselves. It’s an 8-week course and all the players get their own bat and ball to get them started. Good luck lads! We can’t wait to see you all play this year, we are sure the new season will give us some great memories.  If you fancy lining up at the crease this summer, why not head down to Fletcher Sports or shop online for bags, bats, balls, gloves, pads, shoes - whatever you need, we can help!

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       

Guernsey loves its raiders and here at Fletcher Sports we are the very proud suppliers and stockists of all the Guernsey Raiders kit and merchandise. Like everyone on the island have been impressed with the success the team has had this season. We caught up with Jordan Reynolds, Director of Rugby to find out more. Jordan arrived in Guernsey in 2006, started coaching with Jon Colley and has been coaching the team for the past 12 seasons. He was offered to coach on a full-time basis with the Raiders back in 2014 and has never looked back!   You are having a great season and some recent big wins - what do you think makes this season so good? Consistency in the squad for the past 3 seasons has helped us develop as a team. The enthusiasm for the players and coaches to improve every week has been a clear standout. Our team ethos is based on working harder than any other team on and off the pitch, this allows us to be better prepared to grind out the close wins and builds confidence within the group.  How do you think Guernsey rugby has changed over the last few years?  From a first-team perspective, we have created a more professional approach to the way we train and prepare for games, we do a lot of analysing on other teams and referees which gives us important insight to how we should be playing each week. On top of that, we have formed a really competitive squad of players who are driven to succeed. Our aim is not just to develop them as players but as people with strong leadership skills.  Do you think there is more of a community, people are getting more involved and supporting more? The rugby community in Guernsey is definitely growing, with over 450 children now registered with the Guernsey Rugby Academy and feeding into our 3 adult teams (2 men’s and 1 ladies) and many more volunteers, sponsors and supporters involved. The team wear their shirts with pride each week as they represent the whole Guernsey rugby community and the island in general.  What is the atmosphere like when you play at home?  The players love seeing the Garenne Stand full when playing at home and it has been pleasing to see so many new faces coming down to show their support this season. The Garenne Stand has a real buzz about it, especially when Rocky the Raider gets the ‘Guernsey’ chant going. As our track record shows, the players certainly get a real boost from the home crowd and endeavour to play their best for them. What is the next step for the team and what are you all most looking forward to?  The current aim is to achieve all the goals that we set this season if that can be done and if we are fortunate enough to get promoted than we will focus on finding another mountain to climb with new goals set so we can continue to grow as a club.  What will the team be up to in the offseason?  We only have a small time apart in the off-season, 6 weeks. Players will still be looking after themselves and expected to return to the first pre-season session with a decent level of conditioning.  Here at Fletcher Sports we can't wait to see what the rest of the reason has in store - bring it on! Don't forget you can get official Raiders merchandise online and in-store.

We are delighted to announce that through our in store and online t-shirt sales, Fletcher Sports raised £1,022 for The Guernsey Pink Ladies Charity. We feel very privileged to be able to help such a worthy and important local charity and hope our partnership will continue long into the future. As it stands, the total amount raised from the Sunset Walk is over £48,000 which is a fantastic achievement. All of this money stays on the island with no administration costs. It will help fund new equipment for the breast unit and continue to support breast cancer patients with any help they may need. For more information on the great work by the Pink Ladies Charity, please visit the Prink Ladies website.  

Ben from Fletcher Sports caught up with local goalkeeper James Hamon, currently on the books at Exeter City.  James was more than happy to answer a few questions and even showed his sense of humour.. can you spot the tongue in cheek answer? Have you always been a Goalkeeper? I started off as a striker then one day decided I didn't want to run around a pitch so thought I'd go in goal, turned out I quite enjoyed it and kicked on from there.   How/when did you become a pro footballer? I became a professional through Steve Sharman. He knew the manager from coaching the University team and recommended me to him and I went on a few trials with Exeter and ended up signing a professional contract in the summer of 2013.   What does a 'normal' training week look like? A normal week will be in for 10 am Monday, the boys who played at the weekend will have a lighter recovery day whilst the boys who didn't would have a tougher session, Tuesday would be a tough working day for everyone. Wednesday is a rest and recovery day. Thursday will be a team shape and small-sided games day to get sharp and prepared for the weekend. Friday will either be a travel day or if we are playing at home will be a light session, consisting of set pieces and final tactics for the game Saturday. Sunday will be another day off. How do you prepare for matches? I prepare for every game as if I'm going to play even if I know I'm not just in case anything happens in the warm up or first couple of minutes of the game. I have a pre-match meal 3 hours before the game which is usually poached eggs on toast. Do you have any pre-match rituals or superstitions? I don't really have superstitions, I will go to the toilet before we go out and close my eyes and try to imagine the first thing I'm going to do in the game. Whether it's a kick, a save or catching a cross. If you weren't a pro footballer what do you think you would be? If I wasn't a footballer I'd probably be a mirror maker. I could really see myself doing that. What is the highlight of your career so far? The highlight of my career so far was making my league debut against Shrewsbury, we went 2-0 down early and they were top of the league, we came out second half flying scored early and then nicked 2 late on to win 3-2. Do you have any aims or targets for this season? My personal target is to play as many games as I can and establish myself as a first-choice goalkeeper. My aim for the team is to achieve promotion this year. I think we have the squad and the people around us to achieve that. Your dad was one of the best GKs Guernsey has had, but who would be the better keeper if you were both playing today... you or him? Yeah, my dad wasn't too bad. That's a good question, it would be interesting to see him in one goal and myself in the other. It would probably have 0-0 written all over it. Do you have any advice for any up and coming GK's? The little piece of advice I'd give young goalkeepers is to enjoy it. Don't put too much pressure on yourself and enjoy stopping the ball from going in the goal. If you enjoy doing that and have the work ethic you won't be too far away. How important is it that you have the highest quality kit? The quality of gloves and boots is massively important, that's the tools of our trade. A builder wouldn't use dodgy bricks to build a house so we shouldn't use dodgy gloves to play in goal. What is the ultimate goal in your career?The ultimate goal in my career is to play at the highest level possible for as long as I possibly can. Big thanks to James for speaking with us.  Fletcher Sports supply James with his gloves, these can be purchased online or in store.