The Royal Navy’s track and field captains led by example when the Senior Service took on its rival forces at the annual Inter-Services Athletics Championships, this year hosted by the RAF at Cosford.

PO(PT) Neal Edwards (BRNC) and Lt Carolyn Lucocq (HMS Gloucester) both delivered winning performances, according to WO1 Paul Winton, RN Athletics team manager.

Neal’s season began with a resounding 400m hurdles win for the Combined Services against the might of Loughborough University, and ended with a personal best time and a very impressive win in the Inter Services.

Lt Lucocq just edged a win in the women’s long jump and also picked up a bronze with a determined run in the 800m.

Sgt Tim Watson (RMSM) picked up his fourth gold medal in recent years, coming home first in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, and picking up a large swelling on his knee acquired at the final and very rigid barrier.

Lt Julie ‘Doc’ Robin (RCDM Birmingham) comfortably won silver in the women’s discus whilst DSA Kelly Wharton and WTR Dolores Neverson (both HMS Nelson) won bronzes in the 1,500m and 200m respectively.

Particularly unlucky not to win a medal was Lt Laurie Green, whose excellent hurdling technique, developed in her youth, saw her in very close finishes but just out of the medals as she gained fourth place in the women’s 100m and 400m hurdles.

PO(PT) Kate Hayden (HMS Nelson) also displayed great courage and competitive spirit in covering late absences arising from injury and unavailability, but unfortunately she received little reward as she just missed a medal by 1cm in her specialist event, the women’s triple jump.

Year on year the women’s team have narrowed the overall points gap with the other two Services, and this year was no exception. Indeed, this year it was particularly pleasing to see the RAF women firmly consigned into third place in the 4x400m relay.

LWEA Dale Howard (HMS Illustrious) finished third in the men’s high jump with a season’s best performance – he can go higher still with some training.

The unluckiest member of the men’s team was SA Cornelius Delpesche (RNAS Yeovilton), a prolific and consistently high performing sprinter all season, who was edged into fourth place in both the 100m and 200m.

Many Royal Navy team members recorded personal and season’s best performances, including younger debutants such as Musn Carl Ware (RMSM) in the men’s 800m and MEM Dan Raistrick (HMS Illustrious), who completed an unusual treble in the pole vault, javelin and 3,000m steeplechase.

However, it was hard to match the boyish enthusiasm of 50-year-old CPO(WEA) Paul Hillyard (CINCFLEET Portsmouth) as he pushed new boundaries in the pole vault.

Whilst there were many other fourth place finishers, Cpl Brian Cole (AFCO, Luton) ran well in the men’s 5,000m to pick off his opponent and finish fifth – as Brian is an ultra-distance runner, this particular race was somewhat short.

Since the Inter Services, Brian won the National 50k championship against some very strong opposition.

In the Inter Services multi-events championships, RN champion Sgt Richie Hope (RM Stonehouse) finished third in the decathlon, and was well supported by debutant MEM Josh Hazlewood (HMS Montrose), whose excellent performance, in his lucky headgear, contributed to the Royal Navy team unusually beating the Army into third place.

Lt Lucocq finished fourth in the women’s heptathlon. Her experience of the event, which includes a previous win in the championship, proved an invaluable aid to the other team members: WTR Dolores Neverson (HMS Nelson) and PO Nicki Jones (HMS Invincible) as they actively harried the other two Services all the way through the competition.