FOOTBALL

The junior football team had a disappointing day coming 5th overall in a competition that they have dominated for a number of years.  The boys were seeded in a group with Dorset and Wiltshire Wing and Devon and Somerset Wing. 
In the opening match the team came up against Dorset Wilts.  The match was delayed by some ninety minutes due to heavy fog that for a time threatened the whole competition.  At eleven o’clock the game got underway and from the start the Hants and IoW side were tentative.  However, they did take the lead through Cadet Atterbury 2495 (Hythe) Squadron and things looked good.  The lead was only kept for a few minutes as Dorset Wilts came back and scored a good equaliser.  The match faded into stalemate in the gloom of the steadily lifting fog and petered out to a 1-1 draw.

In the second match in the group Dorset Wilts played the side from Devon & Somerset.  This match ended 1-1 meaning the winner of the deciding match between Hants IoW and Devon Somerset would be the group winners and play Plymouth and Cornwall the other Group winners in the final.
The match kicked off after lunch due to the morning’s weather delays. This meant that both sides had had a good break and this worked against the side from Hampshire.  The West Country team were on the top from the beginning with a number of good tackles saving Hants IoW.  Eventually the stalemate was broken with a good shot from Devon & Somerset that put them in at half time one up.  The second half was similar to the first although Hampshire came close on a number of occasions, but the luck was against them and Devon scored an excellent second goal.  The third came soon after and put the result beyond doubt.  Hampshire & Isle of Wight went down 3-0 and would not have the opportunity to defend their title.

Coming bottom of their group meant the Hampshire side would play off for fifth place against the bottom side in the other group this year Thames Valley Wing.  It was an opportunity to put the record straight and they did exactly that.  Hants IoW put five passed the Thames Valley team and finally got into their stride and some good goals resulted. The final score of 5-1 was justified and helped to earn a number of cadets places in the region side.

HOCKEY

The Hockey tournament was held a few miles away at Marlborough College.  There was some fog but by no means as bad as at RAF Lyneham.  Hampshire & Isle of Wight were defending their title won last year and their coach Mrs Muddiman the Civilian Committee Chair at 413 (Aldershot) Squadron was looking forward to a good competition.  The hockey is held in a round robin format with all the teams playing each other in a fifteen minute game.
The opening match was against the traditionally strong Plymouth & Hants & IoW dominated this game from the beginning. P&C were at disadvantage by only having nine players. Sergeant Gale 2495 (Hythe) Squadron played very well at Centre Forward scoring 2 goals in the match. Cadet Morgan 1927 (Petersfield) Squadron made it 3-0 and Hants IoW were well on form to start the tournament. Most of the game was played in the oppositions half which forced Cornwall’s defence to work hard from the outset.

Second game in and Hants IoW were looking to continue their clean sheet against Dorset and Wiltshire Wing. Both Cadet Hoolahan 1927 Squadron and Sergeant Gale worked well as a team throughout the game and Hoolahan’s assists in setting up the three goals for Sergeant Gale were decisive. The Hants IoW defence held back the attack from Dorset Wilts and Sergeant Morten 424 (City of Southampton) Squadron proved herself again in goal.

 In their third match the girls from Hants IoW were up against a Strong team from Thames Valley Wing and throughout the game were tested by their attack. TV kept coming with their centre forward and centre half proving a challenge for Sergeant Morten to continue to hold back and prevent the Hants IoW clean sheet from being tarnished. The Hants IoW defence worked hard throughout the game and TV could not get through. By contrast the TV defence were unable to stop Sergeant Gale scoring her 6th goal of the tournament. By the final whistle, HIOW were leading the competition with 3 wins and were demonstrating excellent teamwork.

                                                               

Sergeant Gale against TV Wing

 Fourth game in and this time against Devon & Somerset Wing, and HIOW were looking at continuing on their impressive run to consolidate their position at the top of the table. Again Hoolahan and Gale worked well as a team throughout the game and continued to cause the West Country side’s defence all sorts of problems. Sgt Gale went on to score another two goals and win the game with the support of the rest of the team.

The final match was against the side from Bristol and Gloucester Wing. This was a really good tough game for both teams as both were playing with a full squad and both teams were evenly matched with experienced and confident players. Cadet Hatchley 1391 (Romsey) Squadron scored half way through the 15 minute match. Hants IoW continued to mark the opposition’s players well and stifled any scoring opportunities. Just before the final whistle blew B&G gave Sergeant Gale enough space to run past their defence scoring the final goal of the tournament.

Sergeant Morten against B&G Wing

This was an excellent effort and gave Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wing their second win in the tournament in two years.  Four cadets were also selected for the region side, the most ever from the Wing.  Sergeant Sophie Gale however deserves a special mention with an amazing nine goals on the day.
                                               

The Wing Team		Sgt Gale receives the Trophy from Assistant Regional Commandant, Squadron Leader Antrobus