RAF Athletics Life Time Vice Presidents competition - DCAE Cosford - 25 Apr 09

By Flt Lt Ben Trapnell - Photos by DCAE Cosford Photographic Section

Heavy rain storms preceded this re-match for the team against a number of top UK Universities, following the Indoor Match in Sheffield, with Shropshire and the Police Service also stepping up to the challenge. With many of the Universities using the Match as a final trial before their national Student Track and Field Championships the following weekend, top quality competition was on the cards.

Even though the day started off with heavy downpours that threatened to dampen spirits, once the sun broke thorough, so did the performances. Following an intense day of competition the Ladies team scored an impressive win beating University power house Loughborough to the title. The Men finished 3rd against very strong Shropshire and Loughborough Squads.

The competition saw many new Athletes taking to the track for the first time in RAF colours: 7 men and 1 woman in total, showing that Royal Air Force athletics is open to anyone and growing all the time. Cpl Sam Hodges from RAF Halton did especially well in her first outing for the team, tearing up the track in the 100m and 200m, as well as the relays, which will surely make the Army nervous at this early stage of the Season.

Speaking from Track Side, Gp Capt John Lawlor, the Associations Deputy Chairman, said 'It's been a fantastic day showing lots of potential for the future and demonstrating that RAF Track and Field is alive and kicking. The team is looking much stronger than it was at this time last year!'

With the Association President, AVM Paul Evans, and Chairman, Air Cdre Richard Gammage, looking on there were many dramatic performances throughout the day:-

The women’s competition saw Cpl Laura McGawn lead the Ladies team from the front, posting a Personal Best in the Shot competition before doing the Javelin, 200m and both relays in tough conditions. All of which bodes well for her challenge for the Heptathlon Inter Service Championships in May where Laura will be challenging for Gold. SAC Caroline Livingstone from High Wycombe rose to the challenge in the 100m, 400m and both relays. Fg Off Stacey Kirby started her Inter Service Campaign in the 800m against tough competition and Fg Off Lyndsey Gozzard of RAF Coningsby had a spectacular debut in the women's Long Jump and 100m showing clear promise for the future.

The men’s team saw an equal number of impressive performances: Flt Lt Nav Childs had to pull it out of the bag in the final round of the Triple Jump, having struggled with a disruptive tail wind, which saw him recording 3 no jumps. He showed his class however leaping to 14m 56 and taking 1st place before moving onto compete in the Long Jump, 200m and the relay. Flt Lt Rob Barker Davies fired out of the blocks in the 400mH, matching pace with the Loughborough Athlete to the 200m mark before suffering in the brutal wind whistling down the finishing straight and slipping to second place. SAC Oz Ellis put in a fantastic effort in his first Steeplechase, pushing team stalwart Sgt Ronnie McWilliam all the way in a tight fought battle for second place behind the Police. The dynamic duo of SAC Mark Oak and SAC Pat Barber, both competing for the first time, were pitched against tough competition in the 400m but rose to the challenge and went on to post strong performances in the 4 x 400m as well. Toby Box swapped his sniper rifle for a Javelin and threw in a competition that saw an attempt on a national age group record.

There were many other performances throughout the day, too many to list them all here, with everyone rising to the challenge presented by tough competition. The end of the day saw the relays hotly contested and although the respective teams did not win, the team spirit and determination shown was impressive.

A big thank you must go to Wg Cdr Howard Marsh and his team for organising a fantastic event that ran smoothly throughout. The event could not have happened without Roger Doust and his team of officials who provided a fantastic service on the day.

The team can now look forward to the Inter Service Decathlon and Heptathlon Championships in mid May along with an International Fixture against Wales and Scotland. The attention then shifts to the RAF Championships in June where competition for Inter Service Championship places will be high. The culmination of the season is the Inter Service Track and Field Championships in late July.

If you are interested in getting involved in athletics, the Presidents Cup competition pitches Station Teams against each other and is a fantastic opportunity to 'come and have a go'. Talk to your Station OIC Athletics, the RAF Athletics Association Webs site or see the posters in your local gym.

The Association is open to any standard of Athlete, male or female, so if you want further information, check out the rest of the site

Individual Results

Team Results

Gallery