Good first impression

I popped along to watch some of the Badminton at the Island Games late this afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality I witnessed. There was a couple games going on, both semi-finals at the Bermuda High School.

Two brothers from Menorca featured in both semi’s but both lost. Albert Navarro Comes to Ben Li from the Isle of Man, who was backed by some noisy team mates, and brother Eric to Paul Le Tocq from Guernsey.

Li’s game against Albert Navarro Comes was a little bit of an epic as the two men battled it out in a not very well air-conditioned hall for around 90 minutes. Favourite Li plays Tocq in the final on Friday.

The women play singles tomorrow and I plan to time a visit to see Guernsey’s Gayle Lloyd as she was coached by one of my mates I found out whilst I was watching earlier. He tweeted me her name and asked me to look out for her, I looked up and there in front of me she was sat with her name on the back of her tracksuit. Small world.

Tomorrow I plan to take my daughter to the National Stadium to watch some swimming at the brand new Aquatic Centre. At the same time next door the final of the 110m Hurdles takes place as well as a Men’s Football match between Greenland and Falkland Islands, both already losers to Bermuda in the round robin.

According to the schedule, also at the National Sports Centre tomorrow in the early evening is the Women’s Beach Volleyball apparently featuring Gotland, the largest Swedish Island in the Baltic Sea. I have been told they are worth watching….

As far as the Medals Table is concerned, it is led by Isle of Man (17 gold, 16 silver, 14 bronze), then Jersey (14, 18, 12), Guernsey (11, 7, 11) and then Bermuda (8, 8, 17).