52 NAVY NEWS, JUNE 2008
NNext monthext month
Invasion
past – HMS
Ocean
heads to the
beaches of
Normandy
● Talk to the hand... Two RN players, including No.10 Mne Rob Lloyd, attempt to foil Spr Ben Seru
Nathan to
fl y the fl ag
Invasion
Navy can’t halt the
for Britain
present
THE new golden boy of
Senior Service sport is
–1st Assault
LAET Nathan Gosling who
returned from the National
Group Royal
Age Group Duathlon
Championships with a fi rst
Marines on
magnifi cent seven
prize in his age group.
The leading hand
(pictured above in training)
the art of
headed to Milton Keynes
in Buckinghamshire for the
amphibious
THERE was no halting race – a 40km (25-mile)
the red steamroller at
cycle ride sandwiched
warfare
Twickenham as the Army
between a 10km (6-mile) and
5km (2½-mile) run.
powered to victory for the
Despite only one year’s
seventh successive year. experience in the duathlon,
But that does not mean that this Nathan crossed the line in
year’s Army-Navy rugby union
fi rst place in his 25-29 age
clash was a one-sided affair.
group – and claimed eighth
The RN 1st XV had trounced
spot overall.
the RAF at Burnaby Road, while
That result also secured
the Army had stuttered to victory
him a place representing
against the same opposition.
Great Britain in the European
The 2008 ‘winner takes all’
Duathlon Championships in
Inter-Services final was billed as
Greece, as well as the World
the most anticipated in a decade.
Duathlon Championships
And it did not fail to live up
and the World Long Course
to expectations as both teams
Duathlon Championships
served up a thrilling red-blooded
age group later this year.
encounter which had the 50,500
As for the Milton Keynes
Twickenham crowd baying for
race, Nathan began the
more, writes Roger Thompson.
first stage, the 10km run, at
The Royal Navy delivered
a fairly steady tempo and
the promised Nelsonian
came into the fi rst transition
bombardment.
in the top ten with a time of
Bigger
In a sentence they played
33m 53s.
high intensity rugby throughout
He continued to work on
the opening quarter, but then
the bike, with the athletes
bangs for reinforced with more of the same.
ahead of him prime targets.
After thirty minutes the storm
“My bike went really well,”
your buck –
had blown over, the Army counter-
he explained.
attacked, demolished the Navy
“The rolling course suited
introducing
scrum and then spread its wings. ● Spr Seru looks as a team-mate is brought crashing to the Twickenham turf Pictures: Sandra Rowse
the training that I’d been
The fi rst try was a massive
doing in Cornwall, and
the next-
forward effort centred on a fi ve-
although I’ve improved
the curtain at 22-11, ensuring the full frontal – they have some very Catterick (42-5), RAF Odiham
metre scrum where the Army
since last year, there’s still
Babcock Trophy remained in the good players,” said Army coach (50-0), 25 Regt RLC (68-0) and
effectively crushed the Navy
lots more to come from this
generation
soldiers’ hands. WO2 Andy Price (Welsh Guards). Nicosia Barbarians (28-12).
set piece. After close-quarter
discipline.”
Had the Navy managed to “We planned to stay cool and Calum McCrae was top scorer
exchanges Chris Budgen (Saints)
By the next transition he
Seawolf
release the electric Josh Drauniniu focused, assert our authority up with 12 tries during the group
seized the initiative and the ball
was in eighth place overall
it might have been different but front and then counter attack. stages, with Josh Drauniniu and
and drove over.
and fi rst in his age group.
the Navy’s main threat was both I am very proud of the way our Scot Llewellyn hot on his heels
From the restart the ball moved
And those were places he
starved of the ball or shackled by people took the emotion out of with eight tries apiece.
held on to in that fi nal stage,
smoothly through many hands and
the Reds’ defence. the game and, by sticking to their However the backs would all
PPluslus
the 5km run.
when Apo Satala (Leeds) handed
Lt Cdr Geraint Ashton Jones guns, scored four good tries.” acknowledge the excellent work
He crossed the fi nishing
over to Darrell Ball just inside
the Navy’s coach admitted ■ WE have the Royal Marines to done on their behalf by the former
line in an overall time of 1h
the Navy 22 it was an unopposed
disappointment at the result but thank for lifting the gloom... and U23 trio of Ryan Wells, Damo
58m 5s.
gallop to the white line.
On the
he added: “We were encouraged, putting the Army back in their Chambers and Gaz Evans who
Having won the RN
In the second half the Reds’
we believe there is more to come box a little. worked tirelessly up front.
Duathlon Championships
forwards again focused on a scrum
from this group of players and The Royals were crowned The quarter final was against
digital rifle
and taken third place in
close to the Navy line.
we know we can deliver an Inter- the 2008 Akrotiri Floodlit 10s the RAF Chairman’s Select and it
the Inter-Services, Nathan
The exposure of the Navy’s
Services Championship.” champions in Cyprus when they proved to be a comfortable win for
hopes to race at the elite
range at
front fi ve followed by repeated
Army skipper Mark Lee defeated the Royal Signals 31-17 the RM team, 45 - 0.
level in 2009 – providing he
close rucking and mauling enabled
(L Welsh) led from the very front in the final. However the team really showed
can squeeze his athletics
HMS Raleigh
loose head prop Melvyn Lewis to
throughout, Budgen put in a Team manager C/Sgt Jan their determination and desire in
in between his work with
cross for the second prop’s try.
superhuman effort in the short Hicklin assembled a good blend coming back from a 10-0 deficit the Baggers of 857 Naval
The fi nal Army score was an
range game and No8 Joe Kava was of experience and future talent to beat the Royal Welsh 17-10 in a Air Squadron at RNAS
Apo Satala cruising special, a shrug
the premier ball carrier. to represent the Corps and the hard-fought semi final. Culdrose.
here and a hand-off there broke
The Army’s Darrell Ball was players clearly repaid the faith he The win puts some much- The day job has now
the defence and he was left with a
named Babcock Man of the Match had in them. deserved silverware in the Corps taken him to RFA Argus in
20-metre saunter to the line. for a fi ne all-round performance
In the pool stages, the team rugby cabinet. Under Jan Hicklin’s the Gulf, where a static bike
At the close full back Wayne in the tight, the line-out and open recorded comprehensive wins guidance they are playing good
and treadmill have replaced
Dugan crossed for a well worked play, topped off with a superb try. against Akrotiri Griffons (60-0), rugby at both the XV and ten-a-
his more usual methods of
Navy consolation try to bring down “We knew the Navy would come Episkipi Eagles (28-14), ICT side game.
training.
Published by Navy News, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth and printed by St Ives (Andover) plc.
0052_NN_Jun.indd 152_NN_Jun.indd 1 119/5/08 18:02:159/5/08 18:02:15
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