MALAYA CUP 2018

Malaya Cup 2018

Match Report

Guernsey U21’s faced up against the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (formerly the Naval Air Command) for the annual Charybdis and Limbourne Memorial Weekend, which this year commemorated the 75th anniversary of the tragic sinking of HMS Charybdis and HMS Limbourne during the Second World War.

Annually, a commemoration and memorial service is held to honour the memory of Royal Naval personnel who died following the tragic incident, which resulted in 464 members of the Charibdys crew losing their lives and a further 40 crew from the Limbourne also lost at sea. Some days later the bodies of 21 Royal Navy and Royal Marines were washed up on the Guernsey coast. The German occupying forces decided to bury the bodies with full military honours at Le Foulon Cemetery, St Peter Port and Islanders took the opportunity to demonstrate their respect for the men who had died, and their loyalty to their Sovereign, by attending the funeral. Over 5,000 out of the 20,000 islanders who had remained in Guernsey during the war travelled on foot or bicycle to Le Foulon.

Survivors and their families visit Guernsey annually to participate in the Charybdis and Limbourne Memorial Weekend which includes a memorial service being held at Le Foulon Cemetery under the auspices of the Guernsey Association of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines (GARNRM).

This season was the 55th staging of the Malaya Cup and, in addition to this, the 2018/19 season marks the 125th anniversary of the Guernsey Football Association. Various events and activities are being held throughout the season to celebrate this anniversary, and the first of these was the introduction of a limited edition 125th anniversary match kit, which was worn for the first time in the Malay Cup match.

 

Guernsey opened the scoring after only 14 seconds when Louis Graham charged down a clearance from the opposition goalkeeper and tapped the ball into an empty net. However, the Fleet Air Arm were soon level following a long free kick which was flicked on into the box, Jordan Kelly made a good save to deny the first effort but the rebound was finished off to level the score at 1-1 after only 2 minutes. That was the way it stayed until half time with Martin Savident having Guernsey’s best opportunity to take the lead but he dragged his shot wide of the far post.

 

Fleet Air Arm then had a chance to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty kick following a tackle from Tyler Mckane. Jordan Kelly guessed right but the ball flew underneath his body to give Fleet Air Arm a 2-1 lead.

 

Guernsey were then awarded a free kick in a good position on the right wing, Ben Le Tocq delivered a great ball into the box which was finished by Louis Falla who had made his way into the box from the back, 2-2.

 

James Ravenscroft then gave Guernsey the lead with a tidy lob to make it 3-2, he then got his second of his hat trick from a similar position, again, he attempted to lob the ball into the net, however, this time it rebounded off the post, Ravenscroft then got hold of the rebound and scrambled it into the net to make it 4-2. Ravenscroft then completed his hat trick with a tidy finish to take the score to 5-2.

 

Thiago Rodrigues then finally got the goal his hard work deserved, picking the ball up just outside the box and shifting it onto his right foot before finishing low into the bottom corner to make it 6-2 just before the final whistle.

 

Guernsey U21: 1. Jordan Kelly. 2. Tyler Mckane (c). 3. Ben Le Tocq. 4. Miles Hardill (Jake Lowe: 80 mins). 5. Tom Nightingale (Colton Fletcher: 88 mins). 6. Louis Falla 7. Martin Savident (Niall Hainsworth: 75 mins). 8. Aidan McKay. 9. Thiago Rodrigues. 10. James Ravenscroft. 11. Louis Graham.

 

Subs not used: Lorcan Smith; Corey Robilliard; Will Gray; Theo Hooper; Frazer Maginnis; Brad O’Regan; Callum Scott

Thank you for your support at this fixture, all proceeds from entry fees will be donated to the GARNRM charity.