SPORT
l The BRNC squad and training staff who made the trip to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland
BRNC deliver winning lesson Stateside
BRITANNIA Royal Naval College took a squad of 32 rugby players and support staff to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. First up was the chance to see the Annapolis 1st XV beat Clemson University in a cup match which meant the BRNC players would be playing a combination of their second and third squads during their tour. BRNC’s first match against a local Baltimore side was cancelled after the
pitch was flooded. The visitors took the opportunity to train alongside the Annapolis team. Rugby training was followed by an outing on the YPs. These could be described as P2000s on steroids and the academy has many of them for training purposes. They can berth roughly 25 midshipmen and regularly sail up to Baltimore and other areas around the Chesapeake Bay. Finally BRNC got to play a rugby
match. In order to give everyone on tour a good run out, the match was to be played in four 20-minute quarters and with rolling substitutes. Annapolis started well making gains into the BRNC half with powerful runs, their team no smaller than their 1st XV, but BRNC defended well. Team captain Oliver Toozs-Hobson scored a try in the corner. Silly penalties allowed Annapolis to get back into the game and they responded with a try
through their forwards near the posts, making the score 5-7 after 20 minutes. In the third quarter, a 13-man maul, to which the opposition had no answer, resulted in a try for Rhodri Leyshon, putting the score at 10-7. However the opposition responded well again and it wasn’t long before one of their massive centres ran through a gap in the line and scored under the posts. Greg Stewart at fly half was running the game well and Joe Burton
at No.8 was carrying the ball well and wearing down their defence so BRNC were confident of turning things around. Some good hands down the left hand side made good ground and, after a few forward carries for positive yards, David Hewitson went over in the corner for BRNC to retake the lead at 15-14. With ten minutes left BRNC won a penalty in kickable range which Chris Gray slotted to make the final score 18-14.
Lucky 13 in Livorno
THE newly-established BRNC Dartmouth sailing team won silver at the World Naval Academy Championships.
More than 20 nations, including Brazil, Chile, Canada, Germany, and Serbia, took part in the 32nd championships held in Livorno, Italy. The championships saw Trident 16 dinghies, provided by the Italian Naval Academy, allocated at random during the opening ceremony. Thankfully boat 13 did not prove too unlucky for the Dartmouth team. Team BRNC consisted of, skipper George Wilmot, Fiona Cook and Chris Pascoe, all within their first few months of Initial Officer Training. The team optimised the preregatta training period and were put through their paces by BRNC Sailing Officer and coach Lt Darren Roach. The racing began with very light winds, meaning many boats struggled to work their way around the course. The BRNC team, however, stayed focused and scored some
good early results, with the UAE being the main competition on the first day. The following day brought blustery and exhilarating conditions with even larger waves and gusts of up to 28kts. BRNC led once more, but after several capsizes among the fleet, the race officer was forced to abandon racing for the day. With Saturday also achieving no race results the pressure was piled on for the last day of racing. Sunday was characterised by some very close racing between the BRNC, Italy and the UAE Officer Cadets. This included team racing tactics played by the Italians against the heavily outnumbered BRNC team. On completion of racing, BRNC were on winning points, however, the close racing had resulted in protests between some of the teams. After a two-hour protest hearing, BRNC received a controversial disqualification from the penultimate race, dropping them into second place overall. This left Italy to take gold and the UAE team bronze.
l BRNC’s Lt Darren Roach with team Fiona Cook, George Wilmot and Chris Pascoe
Scenic time for sailors
SAILORS from HMS Portland enjoyed some kayaking on the fjords during a visit to Bergen. Nærøyfjord Fjord was the beautiful setting for a bit of down time in between exercises. Funded by contributions from the Sports Lottery, Adventurous Training Fund and personal contributions, it ensured that 28 personnel from the ship enjoyed the experience over a three-day period. Hosted by Nordic Ventures the groups made their way 12 miles under paddle before stopping for lunch by an idyllic waterfall. Event organiser, HMS Portland’s LPT ‘OB’ O’Brien said: “I have never witnessed kayaking in such a beautiful place. “The breath-taking views made this an unforgettable experience and the BBQ lunch that was knocked up by our Kiwi instructors was well received.” The Type 23 is due back in her home port of Plymouth in the summer for a period of leave and maintenance.
Team on top of the world Double record-breakers
THE Royal Navy Squash Rackets Association visited Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia to play seven matches in ten days. Fourteen players from the U25, seniors, veterans and women’s squads representing all parts of the Service, including a Phase 2 trainee and a member of the RNR, enjoyed fixtures against local squash clubs, academy teams, the national youth team and the Malaysian Navy. The first fixture was against the Royal Lake Club, which included some formidable players with an ex-Malaysian No.1 and two Malaysian princes. One of the tour highlights was playing the National Youth team. Special mention goes to Cpl Pat McHugh who literally left blood sweat and tears on the court in his narrow 3-2 loss. The final match of the tour was against the Royal Malaysian Navy who narrowly defeated a very weary RN side. Man of the match was 19-year-old ETME Stevie Bingham (HMS Diamond) who produced the 52
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JULY 2015
l The RN squash team on the roof of the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur during their ten-day visit to Malaysia match of his life in temperatures over 34ºC. Other memorable moments included watching the Malaysian U10 Champion narrowly lose a gruelling fiveset match against Lt Cdr Robin Young, 61. The players were: Lt Cdr
Young, Cpl McHugh, Lt Danielle Welch, Lt Phil Clark, AET Conrad Young, PO Smith, Lt John Stephenson, Cdr Stephen Shaw, Cdr Mardlin, Lt Andy Rodgers, C/Sgt Hall, WO2 Mansey RM, ET(ME) Bingham and AB Sam Smith.
A 24-HOUR indoor rowing event at HMS Sultan ended in success as members of the Royal Navy’s Indoor Rowing Team and Sub7 Indoor Rowing Club (Sub7) combined in an attempt to break British and World Indoor Rowing records. Taking on the Concept2 challenge the 29 participants aimed to row over 392,385 metres within 24 hours to claim the British and World records. Rotating at one-minute intervals, the team of both male and female rowers got off to a good start. After starting at midday Saturday the team went into the evening ahead of the predicted pace of 1:40 pace per 500m splits; the actual pace was 1:34.2 per 500m. Working through the night, as tiredness started to kick in the team continued to progress well. The rowers continued to press towards their goal achieving a distance of 213,489 at the mid point of the event. After rowing for 21 hours
l Richard Campos helps the team cross the finish line the team reached the 392,385 to equal the British and World records. Taking on the final minute of the challenge was Richard Campos (Sub7) who helped the team cross the finish line with a final distance of 453,466. On completion of the row, CPO Collin Leiba (MCTA), who was one of five RN rowing team members involved said: “Records are always there to be broken, so
although a significant distance was added to the total I still think the record could be beaten again. Nevertheless, it was a great way to finish the season.” Members of the Royal Navy Indoor Rowing team involved were: Lt Cdr Jim Hyde (HMS Argyll), Lt Stu Moss (HMS Vengeance), CPO Collin Leiba (MCTA), PO Richie Galpin (HMS Sultan), and AET Emily Newton (HMS Sultan). www.navynews.co.uk