The IW table tennis team. Back, from left, Alex Rorke, Roger Hookey, Lee Orton, front, Pauline Rorke and Julie Thorn. Not pictured is Scott Lawson.
ISLAND GAMES TABLE TENNISPERHAPS the busiest members of the IW Island Games team this time around are the table tennis players, who have a long and gruelling schedule ahead of them in Aland.
If the squad is successful they will have just one day off throughout the competition, thanks to a three-day team event, two days of singles and double tournaments and a finals day.
The six-person team, comprising Scott Lawson, Alex Rorke, Roger Hookey, Lee Orton, Pauline Rorke and Julie Thorn, are in a very tough group in the team event, taking on Jersey and Rhodes gold medal winners Gotland on Sunday, before taking on Alderney, Men-orca, Aland and Saarenmaa on Monday.
The medal knock-out round takes place on Tuesday, should they qualify.
Mother and son Pauline and Alex, who live in Portsmouth, both have plenty of Island Games experience but this is the first time the pair have travelled together.
Team manager Roger, who is taking part in his eighth Island Games after George Downing withdrew from the squad, said: "In all seriousness it is very rare, and absolutely brilliant, that a mother and son are competing together at the Island Games."
Alex, 33, said: "Mum went to the two Island Games before the three I went to, Rhodes, Shetland and Guernsey, and we will be playing mixed doubles, which should be fun."
Sandown’s Julie Thorn has been to two Island Games before, winning an individual bronze at Shetland before joining with Roger, Alex and Karen King, to win the team bronze in Rhodes.
She said: "I am sure we will have a great time out there, I am looking forward to the challenge and it will be nice to go somewhere new, somewhere I would never have travelled to otherwise."
Scott Lawson and Lee Orton will be making their Island Games debut and are looking forward to the challenge as well. Lee said: "I am very excited and I just want to do as well as I can but some of the teams are very strong indeed."
Roger, who is also the IW 2011 Island Games co-ordinator for table tennis, was realistic about the Island’s chances in the team event.
"If we achieve what we have done in the last two games I will be astonished as the other teams in our group are so strong. Truthfully, our final is actually our first match against Jersey, who are so strong. If we can come anywhere above eighth we will have done very well.
"And if we can do as well as we can in the individual competition we could get through to the knock-out stages."
Reporter: sport@iwcpmail.co.uk