Page 73 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2019

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN)
Rather like last season, The Royal Lancers’ football team suf- fered another ‘nearly year’. Regimental commitments again hampered the ability to take huge strides forward, however, this did not stop the team from being competitive. During Exercise HODSON’S HORSE (HH), a strong performance in the group stage saw the team finish as group winners following victories over The Household Cavalry (HCR) and The Light Dragoons (LDs). People would have been forgiven for beginning to believe that the team may lift its first HH trophy since the they were last victorious in 2015...
The semi-finals saw the Lancers take on the old enemy: The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG). The Lancers started well by tak- ing an early lead through LCpl Gilmore (D Squadron), who’d go on to score once again in the second half, thus cementing The Royal Lancers’ place in the final. Here, they’d face The Royal Tank Regiment (RTR), albeit without two key players; team captain Sgt Atherley and key defender SSgt Burnell. The RTR, fielding 8 RAC players, put the Lancers to the sword in the first half and took a 5-0 lead into the break. The Lancers did not let their heads drop and in the second half managed to grab a conso- lation goal through Cpl Edge (C Squadron), as they succumbed to 5-1 defeat.
In the Cavalry Cup (a tournament that the Royal Lancers are yet to win), the team battled their way through the early rounds with victories over the RDG and the LDs, thereby booking a place in the semi-final where they would once again face The RTR. Playing away at Tidworth in front of a crowd of 100 supporters, all of whom wearing black boots and berets, the Lancers again struggled to break down a solid RTR side and suffered another defeat. Next year the team will focus heavily on the Cavalry Cup, a trophy that has so far eluded them since amalgamation.
In the Army Cup, we were drawn against The 1st Battalion Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment (PWRR) based in Dekalia,
Cyprus. Much to our horror, it was drawn as an away fixture, so the team had to acclimatise to the sunny conditions by spending time lapping up the sun on the beaches and cooling off in the nearby water park in Ayia Napa. However, a strong performance in hot and dry conditions could not prevent The PWRR from clinching a 3-2 victory with a late winning goal.
The Royal Lancers have had players represent The Royal Ar- moured Corps with SSgt Blakely (curently at RATD in Warmin- ster), Sgt Atherley and Cpl Edge all selected. Cpl Brooks (HQ Squadron) continues to support The Army Football As- sociation and The Army League North through his superb refereeing.
Next season, despite the Regiment’s numerous commitments in Germany and beyond, the Lancers will be hoping to finish the season with silverware - in particular the elusive Cavalry Cup.
AA
Football
It has been a quiet year for rugby in the Regiment. With the removal of both codes of rugby from Exercise HODSON’S HORSE and not being in a league, no inter Regimental fixtures were played. Whilst the idea of a Cavalry Cup instead of HOD- SON’S HORSE is appealing, the realities of fielding a 22 man squad multiple times a season in a small and busy Regiment remains somewhat unworkable.
The Regiment has supported RAC Rugby throughout the sea- son and continues to do so, with particular mention going to Tpr Foster and Sgt Marsden for regularly representing.
Six Lancers represented the RAC in the Corps Final against the Medics with Tpr Foster, Sgt Marsden, Sgt Nagorski, Lt
Batterbury and Capt Marriott all on the teamsheet. Unfortu- nately, the Medics proved too strong but it was a valiant effort nonetheless.
Whilst the Regiment was deployed to Castlemartin an inter- squadron touch rugby competition took place on a Saturday af- ternoon. With some 50/50 calls and interpretations of the rules going their way, A Squadron somehow came out on top.
In the hotly anticipated annual battle for bragging rights, the Seniors were finally triumphant against a depleted Officers’ Mess team – congratulations to them. Will they retain the cup for another year? We will see...
RSB
Rugby
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