Newquay Sevens

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Rain Swept, Water Logged, but not washed out – the RAF Spitfires aim for the beach at the Newquay Surf Sevens!

The RAF once more returned to Newquay for the popular Newquay surf sevens held over 2 days at the Newquay sports ground. Over 100 teams from across the UK flooded to Cornwall for a wet weekend which saw the RAF complete in the Men’s Open Cup competition.

In the group stages, the Spitfires were drawn against Worcester and on the second day Phoenix Nights, having to play each team twice to qualify for the quarter finals.

The opening match against Worcester saw a closely fought first half, where the RAF kept the pressure on throughout and were unlucky not to score in the opening minutes due to a forward pass. However, the pressure ultimately paid off and an excellent ball across the pitch to James Challenger allowed him to score in the corner. The Spitfires went into the second half with this one try lead and a spectacular interception from Cranwell’s Sean Kilkenny gave the RAF the break they richly deserved and he handed the ball off to Richie Craig who ran the full length of the pitch to score under the posts. The Spitfires continued to press forward the attack and a text book chip ahead and pick up by James Challenger enabled him to add to the tally by scoring in the corner. Overall, a convincing win against an experienced 7’s side with the Spitfires winning by 19 – 0.

The second match against Worcester was always going to be tough and the Spitfires could not be complacent. The game started well with the Spitfires applying plenty of pressure in the centre of the pitch and from an RAF scrum the ball was passed out to leading try scorer James Challenger who ran from his own half around the Worcester winger to score under the posts. However, Worcester were determined not to be a walk over and pushed play back into the RAF twenty two. From an RAF scrum Worcester stole the ball and continued to make ground in the centre. A penalty just short of the line allowed Worcester in for a try leaving the scores equal at half time. After a torrid team talk, the Spitfires started the second half aggressively and an excellent break by Tim Barlow and Chris Pearson released the ball to Lyneham’s Challenger who scored. The RAF keep the pressure on and a quick pass from Richie Craig out to Gareth Hopkins rewards the RAF with another try. The Spitfires start to pile on the points when Dan Kennedy passes the ball to Scott Garrett who doesn’t realise he’s actually crossed the line and he generously passes the ball back to Tim Barlow who scores. Lyneham’s Gareth Hopkins was determined to increase his tally and managed to shrug off two tackles before scoring in the corner. The RAF are now on a roll and further trys follow from Tim Barlow and finally Scott Garrett who decides to hold on to the ball this time to score. An excellent win with the RAF going top of the group – RAF Spitfires 41 – Worcester 7.

The Spitfires next had the chance to compete on the main pitch in front of several thousand screaming fans who had braved the driving rain to come and watch the boys in blue. However, the game did not start according to plan, and the Knights made a break through the central defence to score in the corner. But, as if roused by the cheering crowd, the Spitfires came right back at them and within a minute, top scorer, James Challenger broke down the wing and then back towards the centre to score and put the RAF in the lead by 2 points. Not to be outdone, the Knights came straight back, and a cleverly worked ball out to the wing gave them an overlap and they regained the lead in the corner. Determined to be ahead at the break, the RAF came back again, this time through Leeming’s Garry Dunn who forced his way through in the centre to score leaving the half-time score 12-10 to the Spitfires. A stiff talking to from coach Tim Barlow raised the spirits again in the second half and the RAF put the Knights on the back foot, running in three more tries in the space of a few minutes with scores from Rory Wood, Tim Barlow and no surprise, James Challenger to give a very respectable final score of 29-10 to the Spitfires.

It wasn’t long before the next fixture, and carrying several minor injuries, the RAF made their way to the pitch for the second encounter with Phoenix Knights. The flow of play was similar to that of the first game, with both sides playing the ball in the middle of the pitch, but the RAF were the first to have a break and Rory Wood found a gap in the centre and cleverly stepped around his man to score the only try of the first half. The second half flowed in a similar way – excellent defensive play from the RAF back line, but again, the stalwart on the wing, Challenger swept around his counterpart and scored to secure the win.

This left the RAF at the top of the group and easily qualifying for the quarter-finals. However, several players were now carrying minor injuries and the Spitfires could not fully rely on those on the bench to be at full match fitness. To add to the worries, the next match was to be against their nemesis from the preceding competition, Ronin Impact, who were the current holders of the trophy.

Ronin were notable by their size, and had a fully fit squad for this encounter. However the RAF started well, and it was only due to continual pressure in the centre, that a massive Ronin forward eventually broke through to drive over and score. Two more tries followed before the half-time whistle, but the Spitfires were playing their hearts out and were determined to come out fighting for the second half. Like Goliaths the Ronin players fell all over the pitch – tackles from every angle – the RAF hitting them at every opportunity and with every ounce of strength they had. Play moved from one 22 to the other, but the determination of the RAF finally paid off, and stalwart Scotty Garrett broke through to score in the corner. Playing against the driving rain, the RAF continued to struggle on, but a last gasp try by the Ronins sealed the game in their favour and they continued their run the whole way through to the final.

Weather and injury against them, the Spitfires put on a valiant display, and the excellent effort shown in the group games is a sign of things to come. The squad has progressed well throughout the season, moving closer and closer to the open final at each attempt. The players now have a three week well earned rest before making their way to Copenhagen for the highlight of the season – the Scandinavian 7s. Watch this space for their exploits – and hopefully news of silverware coming their way soon.