It was clear that summer had well and truly arrived on Sunday 8th May when 301 (Bury St Edmunds) Squadron took on 24 other teams at the Wing touch rugby competition. The temperature hit highs of 27 degrees but that did not slow down the team of eight cadets from reaching the finals.
Bury made it through the group stages on top after winning all of their games without conceding a single try. However, it was no easy feat, with the unrelenting heat and strong defensive plays from their competitors. Capitalising on interceptions is what took Bury through with some great foresight from Flight Sergeant Matt Osborne (18) and Cadet Matilda Watts (14).
The second round battles were even more challenging with the midday sun overhead and tiring legs. The team however, didn’t give up and carried on working their hardest to see victory in all but one game. This result pitched the team against the dominant 2470 (Sudbury) Squadron in the final who took an early lead preventing Bury from the gold medal.
The Wing competition has grown from just four squadrons taking part five years ago to the 24 teams that gave it their all at Diss Rugby Football Union Club. A great accomplishment on the 75th anniversary of the Air Training Corps. This success has been partly due to the tremendous support from England Rugby, Active Norfolk and Sport England’s ‘Sportivate’ scheme.