Page 41 - 1RHA 2021

Gunner Artingstall with the CO and RSM
good to see there is so much interest in the Regimental team, sev- eral new faces have turned up to training with 28 players attend- ing the last session. The Gunner Cup has also been drawn and has thrown an interesting home fixture against 29 Commando Regiment RA. We look forward to another strong showing in the coming year as 1 RHA football continues to grow.
Despite the fact that the Regimental Cricket team has not been involved in any matches this season (with no intra-Regimental competitions being held), the team has been reinvigorated with significant interest from a number of young soldiers and offic- ers who have arrived at the Regiment within the last twenty four months - nets sessions are now a regular Wednesday afternoon occurrence.
Cricket in 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery has always been a major sport and the Regiment has in the past produced some great players who have gone on to play for the wider Royal Regi- ment and the Army. This year has been no different with four members of the Regiment being selected to represent The Gun- ners. Lt Tyson and Sgt Belfon of A Battery (The Chestnut Troop), Gnr Goodman (E Battery) and Gnr Roberts (B Battery).
Lt Tyson, Sgt Belfon and Gnr Goodman were also successful in being selected for the most prestigious match of the season, the 190th Annual Gunners vs Sappers which is a match that is con- ducted over three days. This seen Lt Tyson and Gnr Goodman being presented with the famous Gunner zig zag caps which is presented to newly selected players and is used for the match. The Gunner Sapper Cricket fixture is the oldest army sporting fixture predating most, if not all modern professional standing fixtures.
Gunner Artingstall with members of Chestnut Troop
This year has also seen the return of the Officers Vs WOs and SNCOS. Even though it has been a very busy period for the Reg- iment this match was organised and turned out to be a great success to see the Officers, WOs and SNCOs being able to put aside work for a bit to brace the cricket pitch for a friendly and competitive game of cricket. At the end of the day the WOs and SNCOs emerged victorious and were presented with the trophy which will be held for the next year. Man of the match went to Sgt Kenward for his contribution both bat and ball.
The cricket team looks forward to the next season and we hope that they will much more opportunities to be involved in a lot more games as a Regiment so more talents can be revealed.
Although Regimental rugby has suffered during COVID-19, 2020 saw a fantastic effort from SSgt Fulton (E Battery) who captained the Army Rugby 7s team to victory at Nottingham Super 7s. Flying the flag for 1 RHA at Army level throughout the COVID-19 pan- demic with a fantastic contribution to the Army team, SSgt Fulton has the thanks and praise of the Regiment for a super effort.
The Regiment is also pleased to have been able to conduct the intra-Battery Moore Trophy in 2021. Chestnut Troop were declared the victors after a hard-fought contest across several disciplines, including cross country, tug-of-war, basketball, foot- ball, rugby and BAWF (British Army Warrior Fitness).
The coming year promises a busy calendar of sporting events and competitions, providing ample opportunity for the Regiment to maintain its strong sporting tradition and excellent reputation on the field.
1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Lt Marcus Webb at Biathlon Summer World Championships in the Czech Republic
The Chestnuts Officers prepare themselves for a introduction to X-Country Skiing
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