Page 49 - MERCIAN Eagle 2020

Sports, Adventure Training & Messes
Packing up the Mess
2Lt Blake
My first four weeks as a platoon commander were exactly how Sandhurst makes you picture it. Time on the ranges and time on exercise; leading the platoon
in the field precisely as Brecon had spent the previous four months preparing you
for. Culminating in Ex AETOS FURY and operating as a company, it was rewarding to finally work with professional soldiers.
My fifth week as a platoon commander involved preparing to deploy to RAF Akrotiri as Op SHADER Force Protection but also packing up the Officer’s Mess. This was not really how Sandhurst painted the picture
of battalion life but nevertheless after two and a half years the battalion was leaving Cyprus and everything needed to be accounted for.
For the subalterns every spare waking moment was spent painstakingly counting and then bubble wrapping hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of silver and paintings. We were surprised at how much
fun this turned out to be. A group of mates helping each other out and being fascinated by the priceless silver led to some good laughs. However all too soon I had to leave the others to it as A (Grenadier) Company deployed to RAF Akrotiri. Fortunately, we will be able to get hands on again when we unpack it in Weeton Barracks before we deploy on Ex ASKARI STORM in Kenya.
From counting rounds to counting silver in a matter of weeks, the life of a junior Officer is certainly like no other civilian job.
XC League
Sgt Bolger
2 MERCIAN started the XC league as 2018/19 champions and therefore had a lot to prove in the 2019/20 league along with putting in a lot of hard work if they wanted to keep the title.
2 MERCIAN held the first race of the season at Episkopi on October 4th, 2019, which is a very hilly route and both the male team (Maj A Bell, Capt P Anderson, Capt S Camp, Capt O Elliott, SSgt Williams, Sgt W Bolger, Cpl B Kirui, LCpl Barrett, Pte A Knight) and female team (Cpl K McGeown, Mrs E Bolger,
Mrs N Williams) walked away as the race winners.
The second race took part in Dhekelia on November 1st, which not all team members could make due to other commitments, once again though SSgt Williams won the race as 1st overall male.
Race 3 was not part of the league
but was the British Forces Cyprus XC Championships held down in Akrotiri, a very nice view for a 5km XC race which was fairly flat had 2 MERCIAN crowned as the winners. From this we would
have been invited to Aldershot for Army Championships but due to commitments on island we could not go.
On February 7th, 2020, after a well
enjoyed Christmas leave, race 4 was held up in Ayios Nikolias; a nice, flat route once again gave 2 MERCIAN the bragging rights as winners.
Race 5 was held back at Episkopi again hosted by the leaders 2 MERCIAN on Marth 6th. It was a very hard course over tricky terrain, though being greeted with smoothies at the finish line was a welcome surprise, hats off to the catering department! Unfortunately, unknown
to all this was going to be the last race
of the league due to COVID-19 and
with 2 MERCIAN winning enough of the league races we were given the title of 2019/20 champions also.
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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