Jacksons Falcons v Tigers - Match Report 18th February 2014

The Jacksons Falcons took the field in their second game in buoyant mood, and wasted no time in showing their opposition that they meant business. The throws between bases were fast and accurate, and Pitcher Ric Pedro found his groove early in the first inning. At bat, the Falcons were just as determined, and began racking the points up in spite of the strong performances, coupled with some key additions, to the Tigers ranks on the night.

Falcons did falter momentarily when Short Stop Sam Lempriere found the floor with his head in an exuberant leap at a rebounding ball, but both Sam, and the team, regained composure fairly swiftly and the game continued. Tigers also suffered some mid-game woes when Declan Renouard had to exit the game looking a little on the green side, but with some eleventh hour subbing, play could resume.

Whilst the mid-period of the game stumbled with the injuries, substitutions and a series of dead balls requiring replacements, both teams stepped up the play for final assaults, and home runs came for both sides, Ric Pedro, Chantelle Cunningham and Nardine Nicolas all scoring home runs for the Falcons.

At the call of ball game, the Falcons had cliched victory 50 - 30. A great second game, with good camaraderie between both teams.

Jacksons Falcons Softball...

Match Report 4 Feb 14

The Jacksons Falcons sprang out of the blocks in their first match of the Winter Softball Season, catching the returning Champions Pirates off guard and mounting up the points tally from the off. The season break had done little to dampen the teams enthusiasm, and the Falcons were able to launch a strong attack at bat, taking advantage of a seemingly unsettled start by the defence. The Falcons pressed home the advantage, wherever possible hustling and stealing bases.

On the field, the Jacksons Falcons began building good partnerships, and a series of smooth interchanges between bases added to the positive vibe. Sam Lempriere and Paulo dos Reis each finding their groove at the Pitchers Plate made the Falcons the full package, and in spite of their oppositions daunting record in the Winter leagues, the Falcons were always fighting for the win.

By the fourth innings both teams were pushing hard at every play, and only one point separated the 2 sides, with the Falcons just holding on to the lead. The Falcons were buoyant, with newcomer Rem Floris earning his first home run, though the Pirates countered with 2 home runs from Ali Wade and Carlos Teles. A nail-biting finish saw a few cracks start to appear in the final few fielding plays by the Falcons, and at the call of ball game the Pirates had eaked out a lead.

A determined display by the 2014 squad and a great first game.

Jacksons Junior Duathlon (Race 3 of 5)

Mont Rossignol 18/01/14 

The most recent round of the Jacksons Junior Duathlon series was another first for the club as junior athletes raced off-road for the first time. A course consisting of two cross country running races separated by a mountain bike race was laid out in the mud at Mont Rossignol in St Ouen. Whilst race distances were shorter than usual the much more difficult terrain meant a much harder task for athletes. 

First up were the seven and under athletes who tackled a 300m run loop before picking up their mountain bikes in transition and it was the usual suspects leading with Elizabeth Atkinson ahead of Luke Holmes and Hannah Worth. Onto the technical and slippery mountain bike course for two laps of around 400m and Holmes quickly established the lead from Worth with newcomer Thomas Nisbet coming up quickly behind. A crash by Holmes on the first lap however set him back and Nisbet took his opportunity to move through into the lead with the fastest cycle split of all. Holmes recovered but had a 25 second deficit to Nisbet and with just 300m running to go his fast final run was not enough. Nisbet took the victory in his first duathlon race with Holmes second. Third overall and first girl was Hannah Worth who moved past Atkinson on the bike. Another newcomer to duathlon, Emily Le Gros was third girl and was followed by third boy Casper Whitewood, the least experienced mountain biker in the group. 

Next up the under 10 athletes took on two laps of the same run loop followed by four laps of a longer and even more technical mountain bike course and a final two lap run. Another newcomer (and older brother of under 7 winner Thomas) Sam Nisbet made the early running ahead of Dan Roderick and leading girl Lily Scott. The mountain bike course really spread out the field and placed the mountain biking specialists firmly in control. Nisbet led off the bike with Liam Cadoret and Charlie Hart cutting through the field with fantastic bike rides. Meanwhile another JCAYA mountain bike regular, Katie Le Gros quickly overcame the 20s lead of Scott and built herself a cushion of well over a minute as they reached the second transition. The final run saw the leading boys all recording similar run splits with positions unchanged at the end as Nisbet took victory over Cadoret and Hart. Scott had another strong run but was unable to make up the deficit to Le Gros who took victory at her first attempt ahead of Lily Scott with younger sister Eva Scott back in third. 

The newcomers had taken three of four wins so far but in the 12 and under age group the leading duathletes are all experienced mountain bike racers and as expected it was the usual names making the running. Jack Kennedy went from the gun to lead the 1200m first run ahead of Peter Holmes and Will Atkinson who came into first transition together with Adele Maher close behind. With heavy rain having set in from the West the race organisers were forced to cut down the bike ride to the same 4 lap 1.8km course as the previous group. Kennedy continued to build his lead at the front whilst British Schools Cycling Association champion, Adele Maher, moved ahead of Holmes and Atkinson 

behind. Kennedy’s lead was over a minute by the time he reached the second transition but he continued to push on recording the fastest final run to come home almost 2 minutes ahead of first girl Maher. Holmes build a small lead on Atkinson on the cycle and was able to keep ahead over the run course to take second with Atkinson third. Second girl was Harley Cadoret in her first duathlon with Aimee Lutz behind. 

The oldest junior age group raced with the senior duathlon field later in the day. Ollie Turner retook the series lead with a great victory not only in the junior section but ahead of all senior athletes too. Joe Hugh ran strongly but was hampered by his decision not to change to cycling shoes in first transition, he nonetheless ran strongly against the senior field picking up valuable points for second place in the junior series. 

Race organisers thanked Lyndon Farnham for permission to race on the land, Colin Hidrio for his support in organising the event and event sponsor Jacksons. 

Jacksons race events are free to enter and open to all children from 7 upwards. For more details on the club, training and events see www.juniorjerseytri.com 

Individual category winners: 

7 & under girls Hannah Worth 

7 & under boys Thomas Nisbet 

10 & under girls Katie Le Gros 

10 & under boys Sam Nisbet 

12 & under girls Adele Maher 

12 & under boys Jack Kennedy 

13 & over boys Ollie Turner 

Jacksons Junior Duathlon...

Race 2 of 5 - Les Quennevais 15/12/13 

Race 2 of the Jacksons Junior Duathlon series took place on Sunday under grey skies on the Frank Machon cycling track at Les Quennevais. Though rain threatened throughout the morning conditions remained dry enough for safe racing.
A good turnout of 30 junior athletes took part in four age groups.

In the seven year old category Casper Whitewood got off to a strong start in the 500m run leading a group which consisted of race 1 winners Luke Holmes and Elizabeth Atkinson along with newcomer Daniel Stocke. Halfway round Holmes took over at the head of the race but Atkinson and Stocke held on with the gap between the three leaders and Whitewood only 5 seconds as they switched to the bike leg. Second girl Hannah Worth arrived at transition a further 12 seconds back. Holmes dominated on his strongest discipline, the 1.5km cycle, gaining almost a minute on most of his competitors leaving him with a comfortable final run to make it two wins from two. The racing was still going on further back with Whitewood and Worth both cutting the deficit to Atkinson on the bike and only 10 seconds covered these three as they entered transition for the final 500m foot race. Atkinson, winner of the Spartans Junior cross country less than 24 hours earlier, was able to make the break in the final 500m with Whitewood just doing enough to hold off Worth for third overall.

In the 10 and under age group top runners Luke Killian and Freddie Lucas set the pace over their 500m first run followed by one of the island’s leading cyclists Malo Monpetit Le Brun and leading girl Lily Scott. With a short first run the gaps behind were all very tight and there was all to play for as they made their way through transition. As expected Le Brun quickly took the lead over the 3km cycle and entered the final transition with a 20 second cushion to Killian in second with Lucas and a fast cycling Liam Cadoret not far behind. Killian set out on the final 800m run in no mood to lose his lead in the Jacksons series, overcoming Le Brun halfway around and going on to build himself a comfortable gap by the end. Cadoret also fought through with a strong to take 3rd ahead of Lucas but it was not enough to catch Le Brun who held on to second place with a 20 second margin. Scott meanwhile was having a battle with her own cousin, Dan Roderick, whose solid cycle had put him ahead but Scott made back the deficit and had the stronger sprint to finish in fourth overall and first girl, comfortably ahead of round 1 winner Ellie Boustouler.

 The 11 & 12 year old race saw the return of Jack Kennedy who had been unable to take part in the first event of the series. Kennedy made a strong start on his favoured run leg setting a pace over the 1500m run which left Peter Holmes and Will Atkinson over 40 seconds in arrears at first transition with first girl, Adele Maher, a full minute behind the leader. Holmes almost halved the gap on his stronger discipline, the 4.5km cycle, but Kennedy was comfortably ahead and extended his lead further on the final 800m run to win in a time of 19:19 ahead of Holmes in 20:14. Maher had managed to get in front of Atkinson during the bike leg and despite his faster finish she managed to hold him off for third overall, also taking the victory in the girls’ event ahead of Aimee Hugh.

In the final age group Ollie Turner was looking to repeat his victory of the first event over Sam Maher. Maher had clearly decided that attacking early might be his best chance to turn the tables and over the first run he smashed his own course record by 19 seconds running 4:42 for the 1500m loop. Turner hung on as well as he could and his own 5:04 was only 3 seconds slower than the previous run course record with Joe Hugh coming through in 5:29 for third. Onto the bike course and as expected Turner took over the lead but Maher tried his best to keep with the rapid pace and managed to keep the deficit to just 7 seconds as the two set off on their final 800m run. Turning the tables on Turner Maher quickly closed the gap, going on to finish 15 seconds clear of Turner with Hugh coming home in third. After two races in the series Turner and Maher are level at the top of the Jacksons Duathlon Series standings. Race organisers thanked club and event sponsor Jacksons who continue to provide valuable support to the club. Parents and course marshals were also thanked for their help in making the event a success.

The next race in the series sees the athletes go off-road with a cross country run and mountain bike course at Mont Rossignol on 18th January. Jacksons race events are free to enter and open to all children from 7 upwards. For more details on the club, training and events see www.juniorjerseytri.com

Individual category winners: 7 & under Girls - Elizabeth Atkinson 7 & under Boys - Luke Holmes 10 & under Girls - Lily Scott 10 & under Boys - Luke Killian 12 & under Girls - Adele Maher 12 & under Boys - Jack Kennedy 13 & over Boys - Sam Maher

Jack kennedy

Lily Scott v Dan Roderick

Luke Killian

Peter Holmes

World of Luxury...

On Thursday 5 December Jacksons held the now annual World of Luxury evening at the showrooms in St Peter. This event first took place in 2011 and has grown in stature over the last 3 years, rapidly becoming a highlight of the social calendar.

With over 30 of the most reputable luxury retailers in Jersey present at the event, there was a fantastic array of luxury goods and Christmas inspired stalls and gifts for our customers to view and purchase on the evening.

Throughout the event we welcomed more than 600 guests, who were treated to mulled wine, complimentary champagne and drinks through the evening along with festive canapés provided by Harpers catering.

Entertainment was provided by the JCG preparatory school choir who sang a host of festive songs during the early evening, with local band, “The Mood”, providing contemporary music through until the event closed at around 10:30pm.

Highlights of the evening included the Jersey Hospice raffle of jewellery, including two bespoke pieces created by Aurum and Catherine Best. In total over £60,000 was raised for the charity on the evening.

One lucky guest also won £250 of vouchers for Shaun Rankin’s Ormer restaurant in St Helier.

A similar event is already being planned for 2014 which already promises  to be another spectacular evening.

Please go to our Facebook Page for a image gallery from the evening.

Porsche launch Macan...

PORSCHE has unveiled its new Macan compact SUV, which has been tipped to take its sector by storm.

At 4.68 metres long and 1.92 metres wide, the smaller brother to the hugely successful Cayenne is a considerably more manageable size than its full-size sibling, as well as being more affordable and still packed with performance.
Two closely-related turbocharged petrol engines are being touted by Porsche as the initial flagship powerplants. The Macan S uses a 3.0-litre unit with 336bhp and 339lb.ft, while the 3.6-litre Macan Turbo puts out 395bhp and 406lb.ft.
Performance figures for the Turbo model include a top speed of 165mph and the ability to sprint from 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds – a length of time that falls by 0.2 seconds if the optional Sport Chrono pack is specified.
A diesel model is offered as the ‘touring’ Macan, with a larger cruising range linked to its lower fuel consumption. The Macan S Diesel can return more than 46mpg for a range of 611 miles, despite weighing almost 1.9 tonnes and boasting both 254bhp and 428lb.ft – more torque than the Macan Turbo.
Four-wheel drive and tyres as fat as 255mm as standard, with 295-section rubber optional, mean the Macan can call upon massive traction to give it a real-world performance edge over any of its potential rivals.
At its launch at the Los Angeles Auto show, Porsche vowed to build the Macan to the same standard as its 911. The Macan will actually share factory space with the Cayenne and Panamera models at the firm’s Leipzig facility.
A vast array of options and customisations will be made available to Macan buyers from the outset.
In the UK the Macan S and the Macan S Diesel will both cost £43,300, with the Turbo starting at £59,300.
To keep updated on when the Macan will arrive in the Channel Islands and test drive availability, subscribe to Jacksons eNews HERE.

Jacksons Junior Duathlon

Les Quennevais 30/11/13

The annual winter duathlon series, sponsored by Jacksons and organised by the junior section of Jersey Triathlon Club, got underway on Saturday in bright and calm conditions at Les Quennevais. A field of 25 junior athletes took part in four age groups with the 7 year olds racing first followed by the older age groups.

For the athletes aged 7 there was a new run course of 500m around the football pitches which was followed by a lap of the cycling track by bike and a repeat of the same run again to finish. Elizabeth Atkinson set the early pace followed by Luke Holmes with Olivia Boustouler some way further back. Through first transition it was neck and neck with Holmes and Atkinson but Holmes made a break on the bike course to build up a strong lead. Further back Hannah Worth had a slower start but quickly made up places with the fastest bike split of the day climbing from 5th to 3rd place overall. On the final run Holmes cruised to a fine victory with Atkinson just managing to hold off the fast approaching Worth to win the girls category with Worth in second and Olivia Boustouler in third. Casper Whitewood and Jamie Parslow, both competing in the duathlon series for the first time, took second and third places respectively in the boys’ event.

The next three age groups had different distances to cover but raced together after the end of the 7 years old race. Last years’ series champion Luke Killian stormed round the new 800m run course, 3km cycle and final 800m run with the fastest splits in all three to record a dominant victory for the 10 & under boys with Freddie Lucas pipping Thomas Atkinson to second place in race which was closely fought from start to finish. In the girls’ 10 & under category Ellie Boustouler had the upper hand on Lily Scott over the first run, Scott attacked the cycle hard trying to make up the deficit but was somewhat hampered by a mechanical issue on the bike. Boustouler was never headed and took victory from Scott with her younger sister Eva Scott finishing third.

The older two categories raced over a longer 1500m first run. In the over 12 category Sam Maher set the pace but Ollie Turner demonstrated his fantastic run form to keep the deficit to 8 seconds with Joe Hugh only slightly further back. Meanwhile Peter Holmes and Will Atkinson were head to head entering the first transition together at the front of the 12 & under race with leading girl Adele Maher close behind. Both Holmes and Turner turned up the heat on the bike courses of 4.5km and 6km respectively coming in at the end of the cycle with enough breathing space for an uncontested final 800m run. In the 12 & under race Adele Maher managed to move ahead of Will Atkinson and hold off his strong run to come home as first girl ahead of Aimee Hugh and second overall. Sam Maher switched off for the final run to save his legs for a cross country race the following day, Joe Hugh kept the hammer down on his run but the few seconds made up on Maher this time were not going to be enough to make up for his cycle deficit.

Race organisers thanked club and event sponsor Jacksons who had kindly sponsored the new club tracksuits being sported by most of the athletes. Parents and volunteers were also thanked for their help in managing the new, more complicated, run routes which were generally well received.
The second event in the series takes place on Sunday 15th December with an 8:30am sign on for a 9:00am race start for the 7 year olds and 9:15am start for 8s and over. Jacksons race events are free to enter and open to all children from 7 upwards.

For more details on the club, training and events see www.juniorjerseytri.com