Clash of the South West training establishments

Speaking at the half-time break Officer Cadet Wayne Melton, the BRNC team captain, said: “It’s a good game.  We need to put our foot on the ball a little bit more I think and show a bit more composure.  Our first team are away playing a league match so these guys have got together at the last minute and are doing brilliantly so far.

"The commitment’s there, but we don’t know each other well, so we need a bit more communication.  Raleigh are playing well. It’s one nil but we can get back into it.  

"We’ve had our chances.  I missed a penalty, but we’ll put away next time.  

"We’ve got an international flavour to our team.  There are a lot of internationals who come to BRNC for training and they’re really good because they love their football.  They are more than willing to get involved so it’s brilliant and they volunteer straight away for the football team.”

The gig racing, won by BRNC, took place on the River Lynher and for most of the Raleigh team it was their first time in a gig.  

Trainee Logistician Supply Chain (Logs (SC)) Emily Sennett and trainee Writer (Wtr) Heather Kitcheman are both undertaking their specialist training at the base and were among the Raleigh crew..  

Speaking before the race Logs (SC) Sennett said:  “Never in my life have I taken part in something like this before.  It’s going to be an experience.  It’ll be fun.”

Wtr Kitcheman added:  “I’ve been in a kayak before, but I think our biggest challenge will be steering.  There is a requirement for teamwork to make sure everyone’s in time and we’ll need some good communication.  

"We’re not necessarily here to win, it’s just a chance to say we’ve done it and tick it off our list.  It’s good to have something like this between the Officers and the ratings, because it brings out that competitive spirit.”

BRNC also won the Swedish Longball in a closely fought match with Raleigh winning the indoor climbing by a two minute difference in timings.

For Officer Cadets (OC) Martin Langlands and Kieran Moffitt the games gave them a chance to take a trip down memory lane as they both joined the Service as ratings and have recently been promoted to the Officer Corps. 

OC Langlands said:  “It’s 17 years since I was last at HMS Raleigh and it’s nice to see how the place has evolved, but in some ways it still feels the same.  It’s great to have a competition like this because both sides don’t really get time together until they get to the Fleet, so getting a bit of one on one interaction is really useful.”

OC Moffitt first came to Raleigh as a recruit in July 1996.  He said:  “The facilities here in the gym are far better than when I came through, especially for team sports like the Swedish Longball.  In the Fleet the interaction between the Officers and the ratings is there from day one and the healthy competition, getting one over on the Officers always feels good. Likewise it bonds you.”

In the assault course and shooting competition BRNC achieved the fastest time over the course, while HMS Raleigh won the shooting.   

In the final event, the Superstars, Dartmouth were the early leaders in the competition which featured 10 different stances ranging from tyre flips to power bag relays.  

Raleigh managed to pull it back and just maintained their lead in the final event, a one lap of the parade ground stretcher run, with BRNC closing in on them for the last 100 metres.

Event organiser, Leading Physical Training Instructor Joe McGarry from HMS Raleigh, said:  “Overall it’s been a great event.  All the participants showed great determination and commitment throughout and in the end HMS Raleigh just missed out to BRNC.”