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RAOC Gazette - page 22

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Transcription became clear that this was the weak link in the REME team.
Fhc Corps went ahead- in the tenth minute when James slotted
home a cross from the left after good work by Crawford. Dineley
and Griffiths. They continued to make use of the following
wind and after twenty minutes Shepherd made it two nil when he
converted a well judged cross from Dine ley,
REME came back into the game immediately and Ferrier in
goal made a number of outstanding saves from close range.
During this period Renicks, Taylor, Hawker and John all played
a major part in stemming the determined thrusts of the REME
forwards.
Almost on half time the Corps suffered a major setback
when the hitherto dominant James was carried off with a leg
injury and was unable to resume after the interval
In the second half the re-organised RAOC team faced a
stiff breeze and came under constant pressure. Again, it was
Renicks and Taylor who stood out and held the defence to-
gether. The Corps attacks were now limited to solo efforts from
the exhausted Stant who, in spite of his flagging limbs, came very
near to scoring on three occasions*
REME were eventually rewarded with a goal in the last
quarter of an hour and this signalled the start of a flurry of
attacks on the RAOC goal. With the injured Dineley now
replaced by the experienced Donal, the Corps pulled back all
but Stant and Shepherd into defence. The final ten minutes were
as exciting for the band of nervous spectators as they were
frantic for the players themselves. When the whistle blew for
full time there was an enormous feeling of relief around the
Blackthorn Road ground followed by much elation when the
Bicester Garrison Commander, Brigadier Cooke presented
skipper Renicks with the trophy that had resided at Bordon for
the last eighteen years.
Team: Sergeant Ferrier, Lance Corporals Hawker, Renicks
and Taylor, Staff Sergeant Griffiths, Lance Corporal John,
Sergeant James, Lance Corporals Crawford and Shepherd,
Privates Dineley and Stant.
Subs: Corporal Simkiss, Sergeant Donal and Lance Corporal
Robson.
Team Manager: Sergeant Allan.
THE DULMEN
result. Who would have thought that a fifty one year old Major
would win, that the fittest unit runners wouldn't came in first,
for the field was completely open to every rank and age and at
the finish (he interest in everyones final placing was most evident.
So, as the Donnington Scramble and the Hash House
Harriers made their mark, so too has the ' Dulmen Dash.*
Interest, fitness, open competition and a sense of sporting achieve-
ment have been combined together to promote a closer unit
spirit. So take it up, you'll find that this ever popular ' fitness
for you ' era, that it really does work.
ORIENTEERING WIN
THE RAOC Training Centre won the Zone A Major Unit
Orienteering Championships on the Mytchelt Training area. As
part of the economies, South East, Eastern and London District
combined their meetings into a Zone.
The Training Centre won the South East District Champion-
ships, and as a bonus, were the overall Zone winners. Of the
six competitors per team, out of one hundred and sixteen runners
on the A Course Major Peter Lewis came sixth, Sergeant Mick
Binks tenth and Captain Phil Freegard twenty first. On the B
Course, out of sixty six runners, Captain Ted Walcroft was
second, Major Chris Brightman fifth and Major Terry Bunyard
sixth.
The Training Centre Team defeated eight other teams who
completed the course, and so qualified for the UKLF Cham-
pionships.
DASH
A U:VIT C R O S S COTJIVTRY WITH A D I F F E R E N C E
IT was a normal day, the runners lined up, with the favourites
of the unit cross country team at the front, eager to get away to
chalk up yet another win. The over forties knowing their final
positions would be somewhere near the back, were busy chatting
about the Mess party that night. At the gun the youngsters
were off to a good start, the favourites leading
and so
the scenario of the normal cross country goes, that is until the
advent of the now popular Dulmen Dash—unit cross country
with a difference. A fun event for the whole unit, a * Keep the
unit in top physical shape all year ' event,
There is a quarterly race for everyone on establishment,
from CO to acting private, from under twenty to over fifty—
and everyone in with a fair chance of winning.
As the year passes, the same obstacles, ranging from iced-
over streams, stagnant ponds, fast flowing rivers and a fair pro-
portion of muddy tracks, roads, ditches and other objects are
encountered.
The basic aim of the event was maximum participation and
continued fitness standards. Obviously with an existing age
difference of over thirty years a system had to be devised to
stagger the start on a fair basis and so encourage both young
and old. After much soul searching and ideas to fix the start
times to ensure the CO beat the FTO, (fairly of course), it was
decided to select an exact three mile course to match the normal
BFT distance, and to programme the start times to adhere to
permissable completion times for the second part BFT schedule.
It was a simple matter therefore to add part one and two
for each group, set over fifties off first and at the respective
times thereafter, set each other age group off in turn with the
under twenty nines last. To counteract the fitter bodies of the
cross country team, an arbitary further delay time was imposed
behind the under twenty nines, and so with each age group deter-
mined to do their best, the race began.
In theory of course, one would expect all runners to finish
at the same time, but tremendous competition and unparalleled
fitness in some of the older age groups, gave a most interesting
Captain Freegard, Majors Brightman, Lewis and Bunyard with
Sergeant Binks and Captain Walcroft in the front row with
children and dogs.
TRAVERS CLARKE
{Continued from page II)
Over the years the meeting has been held, sometimes as a
one day event and sometimes as two and in 1955 when the
first two day meeting was held, the Officers Club Garden party
was organised to run concurrently with the athletics. The
Warrant Officers and Sergeants also held a garden party and
the first of these occurred in 1960, In 1966 one thousand and
thirty people sat down to tea.
Travers Clarke is a Corps tradition and now sixty years
have passed since its inauguration. The 1981 Meeting is to be
held at the Military Stadium, Aldershot, on Thursday 11th June.
The first event will start at 0930 hours, the finals at 1400 hours.
Travers Clarke provides an excellent opportunity for serving
and retired members of the Corps and their families to meet as
well as to encourage those taking part in the athletics. Please
come along and give your support.
COVER PHOTOGRAPH
CORPORAL LOWE goes over the top and clear during the
high jump at last years Travers Clarke—see page 11.
Book number R0250