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Army Team gunning to beat Navy at their own game

A team of Army engineers from Wattisham Airfield is hoping to beat their hosts and win a prestigious Navy competition. The 18-man team plus trainers from 7 Air Assault Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (7 Air Asslt Bn REME) is taking part in the Royal Navy Field Gun Competition for The Brickwood Trophy, the only Army team invited in the Trophy's 98 year history.

The competition was originally part of the Royal Tournament at Earls Court with the objective to haul a 2,000lb field gun and limber along an 85-yard course, fire 6 rounds and return in the shortest time possible. Due to safety reasons the obstacles, traditionally part of the event, have been removed from the course. 7 Air Asslt Bn will be the only Army crew among the 18 crews when the event takes place at HMS Collingwood, Gosport, on 18 June 2005.

Having forged close links with the Navy by virtue of using similar equipment, 7 Air Asslt Bn were invited to take part in 2001. Since then the team has improved to the point where it was leading going into the final race last year before finishing sixth overall. The team is now keen to go the final step and beat their Navy hosts.

Leading the crew is Field Gun Officer Major Julian Pemberton-Piggott. Maj Pemberton-Piggott said: "The team is pumped up and ready to go. We came so close to winning last year we really want to take it away from the Navy this year and particularly being the 200th anniversary of The Battle of Trafalgar.

Field Gun is widely known as one of the toughest sports in the world and perhaps the ultimate team sport. It requires supreme physical fitness, determination, motivation and total commitment."

Maj Pemberton-Piggott said the training had been good despite a considerable handicap:

"Each crew taking part is issued their gun approximately five weeks in advance to ensure each crew has the same opportunity to train. There is also a tradition that training has to be done out of work hours," he said. "However, we unfortunately had a two week exercise thrown right in the middle of that period so we are playing catch up."

On the day, each team has seven runs. The six teams with the best aggregate times goes into the final. Each run lasts just under one minute 30 seconds. After seven runs last year, 7 Air Asslt Bn were leading the table going into the final.

In addition to its intense training, the team has to raise around £4000 for special kit both for training and to wear in the competition. It has to raise that money itself and is always looking for sponsors. Anyone wishing to sponsor the team should contact Maj Pemberton-Piggott on 01449 728679.