As Jersey Hockey teams head away to Guernsey for a long awaited Inter-Insular between the two islands, Dan Andrade has caught up with a few key faces in the Jersey camp!
Up first he spoke to the islands women’s hockey captain Natacha Kay about how the ladies have prepared for the game, and how confident they are in the lead up to Saturday!
The full interview is below!
It is the inter insular this weekend – how buzzing are the team for the game?
The inter insular has always been a highlight of each hockey season and with it having been close to two years since the last one, the team are definitely looking forward to taking on Guernsey. We have had a strong start to our domestic league this year, topping the Men’s Division Two with 6 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, and are looking to carry forward this momentum into the game. With the pandemic having halted travel for everyone, it will be great to finally have the chance to play some exciting hockey off island.
Have you play in any games against Guernsey previously? If so, what have they been like!
I have been playing in the Jersey side since I returned to the island from university 10 years ago! Guernsey are a strong opposition and it is a great game to play in, always being closely contested. There’s of course the age old rivalry between the two islands that makes it even more hotly contested!
Has much preparation gone into the game? How ready do you feel?
As mentioned earlier, we have started our domestic league off well which I think shows we are playing well together and also gives us some confidence going into the inter insular on Saturday. We have a strong team this year with a good mix of more experienced and also younger players in the line up. We’ve been training hard and focusing on the finer touches and more clinical finishes with our dedicated coaches, Simon Watling and Alan Morris. The whole squad have also benefitted from strength and conditioning support working with Strive academy over the past couple of months.
Who do you think are the key players in the Jersey Hockey side?
We have some very strong players in the squad and everyone of course plays a crucial role. I think the key to success against Guernsey will be playing as a team. We play our best and look the most dangerous when we’re passing quickly and moving off the ball for each other.
How hard is it to contain emotions in games against Guernsey?
Everyone always gets a bit jittery in the week leading up to the inter insular, when the task at hand really comes into focus. I’m sure there will be some nerves on the day but that’s good in some respect and I’m sure we’ll see the team rise to the occasion. We can also take confidence from our league run so far and the work we have put in at training.
As it’s in Guernsey, how can we follow the action + what time does your game start?
It’s a full day of hockey in Guernsey! It’s an early morning flight for all Jersey squads, with the ladies 1st XI game at 10.30am I expect there’ll updates on social media throughout the day but for anyone who is keen to watch, the games are going to be live streamed and can be watched at the Clubhouse at Les Quennevais. Any support, albeit virtual, would be really appreciated!
Good luck to the women’s side! The whole island are behind you! More scenes like the one below please!!
Jersey Women’s Squad: Harriet Neal (GK), Harley Cadoret, Chloe Lagadu, Gemma Minty, Emily Sabin, Kerry Rogers, Jamey Henderson, Hannah Scriven, Izzy Heelis, Chrissie Helmholt-Kneisel, Chelsea Dollar, Effie Bowley, Lucinda Gouveia, and Natacha Kay.
Sportscast Jersey 