Page 48 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2017

46 REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) pitted against each other was to play out. Officer Commanding
A Squadron’s hockey prowess was also a topic of hot debate.
A brave representative from each squadron pulled on the goal keeping kit and prepared for battle. What followed was a thor- oughly enticing tournament where no match had a predictable outcome and the underdog was king. It was very much a defen- sive engagement and the winner in most matches was the team who committed more to their defence and stole goals where they could. It was an incredibly tight results table, goal differ- ence separating the top three teams. A Squadron were deserved winners with C and B Squadron finishing a close 2nd and 3rd respectively.
As spring turned to summer, the Squadrons turned their hand to rugby. The sport is popular within the Regiment so, unusually for Babington Shield events, the standard demonstrated on the field was high. It was to be Sevens format, so lots of gaps to exploit and ground to cover. Going into the event, Headquarters Squadron and their numerical (and weight) advantage ensured they were fa- vourites. They also had the advantage of some serious pace; the Reginmental Administration Officer once clocked a sub-11 sec- onds 100m time, though he protests it was some years ago.
As expected, it was a fast and furious few hours of sport. The tournament was organised as a round robin, with matches last- ing no more than 14 minutes. Sergeant Whitehead-Junior took a knock to the head and covered much of one touch line in clar- et. Nevertheless, he was soon bandaged up and returned to the pitch. The crunch match was to be D vs. Headquarters Squad- ron with Officer Commanding D Squadron and the Adjutant leaving nothing in the tank. Headquarters were the victors in that match and with it took overall victory, D Squadron finish- ing a well deserved 2nd and C Squadron returning a plucky 3rd place for a Squadron known for its football.
Inter-Squadron athletics was to form part of the first Mons Weekend of Royal Lancer history. The Catterick weather held and the wider Lancer family enjoyed an afternoon of sporting excellence. Some participants, having been affected somewhat by the heat of the day, had to be pointed in the direction of the start line. Headquarters Squadron won the top prize, with D and C Squadrons taking 2nd and 3rd respectively.
On returning from summer leave, the Squadrons dusted off their cricket whites and took to Richmond Cricket Club to play in the Babington Shield event. It is a beautiful ground and it was an event which was rearranged a number of times due to weather. We were lucky, however, that the first Wednesday after summer leave was a balmy Indian summer’s day. Prior to the tourna- ment, the nets were a hive of activity; it is one of the Babington Shield events which attracts a great many gifted amateurs. This year was no different, yet Lance Corporals Bean and Potter dem- onstrated a natural flare for batting and the Training Wing pro- vided Headquarters Squadron with an enviable bowling attack.
Some hardy souls take part in a 10 miles Team Time- Trial in the inaugural inter-squadron cycling event
Inter squadron Rugby Sevens
In fact, coupled with some outstanding hitting from Sergeant Martin, it was strong enough to lead Headquarters Squadron to overall victory with D and B Squadron finishing 2nd and 3rd.
Football, also an event which had been rearranged a number of times was played in October. Perhaps the most popular Babing- ton Shield event, squadrons had been running training sessions for weeks leading up to the tournament. With a good number of both senior and junior members of the regimental team, the betting man was doubling down on C Squadron as the teams lined up for a round-robin competition. After a number of close games, it was C Squadron who finished victorious with D and Headquarters Squadrons sharing 2nd place as points and goal difference were level.
The final event was cross-country. The overall race was still very much in contention with four squadrons still able to win the Shield. Traditionally an event with few volunteers, it was to be a collectively scored event, with points for all team mem- bers. The run was held through a specially designed course in the garrison; the stage was set with no overall favourites and strong runners across all Squadrons. C Squadron managed to secure six of the top twelve places and finished a strong 1st over- all. B Squadron, on for a high score, were unfortunate to have Lieutenant Gray take a wrong turn on his second lap and subse- quently finish well down the pack. This dropped them overall to 2nd and D Squadron managed a respectable 3rd.
Yet again, the Babington Shield events provided another year of sporting success, where participation is most definitely the winner. The overall winners, demonstrating all-round sports- manship and winning no less than four of the events, were C Squadron. A special thanks to all involved with running each event and also to all those who competed, regardless of experi- ence. The shield will not run in 2018 due to the dislocation of the Regiment, but will be back in 2019.
EJL
Trooper Russon just misses out