Jersey Athletic will face Army opposition for the second time in
two weeks tomorrow at St Peter as they take on the Royal Artillery
in the annual Wilkes Cup fixture.
Last season saw the Athletic run out comfortable winners by in a
match (pictured below) that saw 11 tries shared between the two
sides, in a fast-flowing, and very enjoyable game of rugby
(photo courtesy of JEP).
2013/14 was of course the debut season for Jersey Athletic; a
strong squad, boosted by some ex-1st XV players as well as regular
rugby in the Zoo Shield, saw the Jersey side win back the trophy
from the Gunners, who had been victorious the previous
season.
The trophy is named in honour of former Lieutenant-Governor,
General Sir Michael Wilkes KCB CBE (pictured below), who
was an enthusiastic follower of JRFC during his time in office, and
also subsequently between his retirement in 2001 and his death in
2013.
The Wilkes silverware was formerly contested annually between
Jersey and the Isle of Man, alternating between the two islands in
the same way that the Siam cup does. However, when flights and
costs, as well as the pressure of league rugby made this unviable,
the new format was agreed with the Royal Artillery. Matches between
Jersey and the Royal Artillery go back a long way, with the first
recorded meeting in 1876 pre-dating the officially-recognised
foundation date of JRFC (1879).
This will be the ninth meeting of the two clubs in the context of
the Wilkes Cup with the tally currently resting 5-1 to the
Islanders, with one draw and one cancelled match.
Admission to Sunday's match, which kicks off at 2pm, is free.
From 12noon a Sunday carvery will be available in the Clubhouse at
£15 per head, or supporters can enjoy a hearty beef roll for a
fiver. No pre-bookings is required, and hung-over Worcester
supporters are welcome, perhaps en route to the airport and their
flights home.
The match follows the first-ever meeting between a Jersey side
and the British Army earlier this month, with the visitors claiming
a 7-31 win against Jersey Athletic as part of their build-up to the
annual match against the Royal Navy in May.
