After a number of delays due to ongoing Covid restrictions, the padel inter-insular event is confirmed for 9th and 10th October 2021.
Jersey and Guernsey have played once before in 2019, with Guernsey winning the tie, however, this edition marks the start of an annual inter-insular tournament to be known as The Corcuera Cup sponsored by Rocq Capital.
Enrique Corcuera is widely considered to be the inventor of the game of padel after adapting a squash court at his home in Acapulco in 1969. The annual inter-insular tournament will be named in his honour.
Jersey will send a team of 26 players to Guernsey for the weekend to compete in Men’s, Ladies’, Men’s Vets events with each match contributing one point to their team’s total. At the end of the weekend, the island with the most points will be declared the winner.
Rocq Capital, who have been a key supporter in the growth of padel on Guernsey, have agreed to sponsor the tournament and Blue Islands have worked closely with organisers to add an additional flight to the schedule after other travel options were not suitable.
Guernsey team captain, Omar Pitarch said: “We are delighted to finally have been able to secure a date for The Corcuera Cup after a summer of changing regulations and uncertainty. We are really looking forward to welcoming the Jersey players to Guernsey and enjoying some good competition, and hopefully a win!”
Stuart Parfitt, Managing Director of Rocq Capital added: “Rocq Capital are pleased to be able to build on our support of Padel in the Channel Islands. The sport continues to go from strength to strength and encouraging inter-island competition will only help to develop the game across both islands.”
Rob Veron, CEO of Blue Islands said: “Sport is a huge part of Channel Island life and that’s why as a local airline, Blue Islands is proud to play its part in bringing sport together, and we are pleased that we can offer flexibility in our schedule between Guernsey and Jersey to enable Channel Island padel teams to enjoy The Corcuera Cup.”
