Isle of Man crowned inaugural Cherry Godfrey Cup champions

Tuesday 27 August 2024

Jersey narrowly missed out on being crowned the inaugural Cherry Godfrey Cup champions this weekend after losing the final to the Isle of Man on penalties.

The new women's football tournament will now be held every two years, with the first event proving a success over the weekend.

Isle of Man booked their place in the final with a 5-2 win over Isle of Wight on Friday, whilst hosts Jersey beat Guernsey 3-1 to get much-needed revenge from the Women’s Muratti defeat in March.

On Saturday, Isle of Man were crowned the first Cherry Godfrey Cup champions with a 4-3 victory on penalties after being locked at 0-0 at full-time in the final against Jersey.

Guernsey was beaten in the third and fourth-place play-off, falling 6-2 to Isle of Wight.

But there was something to celebrate as Jersey's new captain Holly Muirhead was named as player of the tournament.

She describe the inaugural competition as "utterly amazing".

“The female game is still feeling the after-effects from its 50-year ban," said Muirhead.

"Women and girls don’t get the same opportunities as men currently do.

"So, an opportunity like this has immense value and we really appreciate being a part of it."

The first Cherry Godfrey Cup final took place at Springfield Stadium on Saturday in front of a crowd of over 200 supporters.