Page 100 - The Bugle 2018
P. 100
‘Armoured Farmers’
THE PADRE, ALTHOUGH A MAN OF GOD HAS NO PROBLEM KILLING HIS WONDERFUL CREATIONS
5 RIFLES Field Sports
The 5 RIFLES Field Sports Club is now fully estab- lished. In clay target shooting, 5 RIFLES entered the Army SW competition, held at Barbury Castle shooting ground. The team did well, placing in the middle third of the rankings (not bad considering the minimal practice). Rifleman Young shot well, winning the top gun in the D Class. Lance Corporal Davies made an appearance dressed up like a plough- man’s lunch armed with a borrowed semi -auto firing forbidden plastic wad cartridges (until he was found out by the ground staff). The 17-18 game season saw all ranks getting out and enjoying some sport on several of the shoots on Salisbury Plain Training Area. Rifleman James (“low bird slayer”) is working as an underkeeper on the Tidworth and Bulford shoot and Corporal Booth is managing deer numbers on the Bulford Ranges. The Padre, although a man of
God has no problem killing his wonderful creations and can often be found lurking the hedgerows with gun in the shoulder. The Battalion also had a chance to send two lucky individuals to a Simulated Game Day at Hopton Court. Lieutenant Van den Berg and Rifleman Young had the chance to shoot at over 4000 Clays. Rifleman Young did the Battalion proud, Lieutenant Van den Berg less so! There is a strong shooting contingent within the battalion and the prospects for the 18-19 season are looking good. Thanks to the Westdown Camp Shoot for giving the Battalion half-a-gun for successive seasons and to the Netheravon Shoot for a fun Officers’ Mess Shoot.
Corporal A Booth D Company
5 RIFLES Cricket
For years, the RIFLES Cricket Bn was 4 RIFLES but in 2016 that title passed to 5 RIFLES in Bulford. It has taken two years of nurturing latent cricketing
talent but, in 2018, our potential was fully realised. 5 RIFLES swept away all before them at the Inter Battalion T10 Cricket Competition in Winchester. The Kenya Challenge Cup has come home and we are already favourites to retain it in 2019. There were notable performances from Captain Bossom, Serjeant Francis, Corporal Booth and Lance Corporal Farray who topped the bowling averages. Our winning formula was to restrict runs through tight bowling and tiger-like fielding before knocking off the runs at our leisure.
Unfortunately, our intra-regimental success was not replicated in the Army Major Units Cup in which 5 RIFLES lost to 4 SCOTS in the Quarter Finals. 4 SCOTS were a well-drilled team who play regularly in the Garrison League and had home advantage on a variable Yorkshire track. 5 RIFLES bowled them out in 13 overs for 94 runs (Bossom 5-36); however, we were 3 runs short at the death with no batsman able to take control of the game.
To allow 5 RIFLES cricket to grow, the talent scouts have been out and the ARCMO should be receiving some transfer requests from the South African contingent at 2 RIFLES. 5 RIFLES have provided most serving players to the regimental team and will look to tour somewhere in 2019. Captain T Bossom
5 RIFLES winning the Kenya Challenge Cup
106 FIFTH BATTALION THE RIFLES