On this day in 1905

The Muratti is an annual football competition played between Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney. The teams play for the Muratti Vase, which was named after the Muratti cigarette brand produced by Philip Morris. Although Muratti cigarettes were the tournament’s first sponsor, the brand is no longer sold in the Channel Islands.

The first match took place in 1905, at Springfield Stadium in Jersey. It has been played every year since then during peacetime, with breaks between 1915 and 1919, and again from 1940 until 1946, due to war.

A two-match contest

Each event consists of two matches. The first is the semi-final, in which either Guernsey or Jersey plays Alderney. The winner of that match plays in the final against whichever of the larger islands didn’t take part in the first. In the first tournament, Guernsey beat Alderney 6-0 in the semi-final, and went on to beat Jersey 1-0 in the final.

None of the games – either semi-final or final – have been played on Alderney since before the occupation, although previously they did cycle between all three islands. Each team wears its traditional colours. For Guernsey, this is a green shirt and socks with white sleeves and white shorts; Jersey wears a red shirt and socks with white shorts, and Alderney wears all blue.

Evenly matched teams

Excluding Alderney’s win in 1920 and the three-three tie between Guernsey and Jersey in 1937, the two larger islands have been fairly well matched. Over the first 90 years of the Muratti’s existence, Guernsey won 45 games, and Jersey took home the vase on 52 occasions. Jersey’s eight consecutive wins between 1958 and 1965 is the record for the longest unbroken streak.

The 100th final was played between Jersey and Guernsey on Sunday, 14 May 2006. Jersey won 1-0 at home, after each side had one player sent off.

Although it was exclusively played by men at its launch, the core Muratti competition has been broadened. It now includes allied matches for female teams, under-21s and under-18s.

 

...and on this day in 1946

The war was over, the Channel Islands had been liberated, and personal travel was becoming practical again. Finally, Nottingham-based airman TW Shipside and his wife could take their first flying holiday in six years. They completed the 275-mile journey from their home airport to Jersey in just over two and a half hours.

 

...and on this day in 1949

A leading light in the world of motor racing was killed when he skidded and crashed his Bugatti into a house at Marquand’s Corner. Kenneth Wilfred Bear had been practicing for the 176-mile Jersey International Road Race at the time. The car collided with six people at the side of the road. A doctor died on the spot and a policeman died the following morning. The other four injured were kept in hospital. Bear’s funeral took place in Jersey.