STEPPING UP TO MEET COLONEL’S CHALLENGE

Teams from the  2nd (Northern Ireland) Battalion Army Cadet Force have been competing for the prestigious Colonel’s Cup in a challenge which tested their military skills, including First Aid, command tasks, fieldcraft, signals, skill at arms and observation.

After an exciting weekend,  Ballygowan Detachment were declared the overall champions and were awarded the Colonel’s Cup.  They also won the First Aid Trophy, and delivered what Colonel Maurice Warnock, Cadet Commandant 2nd Battalion Army Cadet Force described as ‘an outstanding performance.’

He added, “Lively competition is central to Cadet life, giving great opportunities to test and sharpen skills and, although they take competition very seriously, it also presents Cadets with opportunities to make friendships beyond their own Detachment.  The Colonel’s Cup is one of the highlights of the Cadet year and I was delighted to see all of the teams perform so well.”

Pictured above celebrating are the lads from Ballygowan:   Front row (from left) are Cadet Lance Corporal Ryan McCulla and Cadet Corporal Adam Proctor and, back row (from left) Cadet Sergeant Conor Thompson; Cadet Sergeant Jonathan Lavery; Cadet Corporal Nathan Proctor; Cadet Sergeant David Spratt; Cadet Sergeant Joseph Armstrong and Cadet Corporal Richard McCormick.

The County Down Army Cadet Force team, made up of representatives of Cadets from the Peninsula, Donaghadee, Gransha and Dundonald Detachments, were narrowly beaten into second place in the battle but their Section Commander, Samantha Newell, in recognition of her excellent leadership skills, won the Best Section Commander Trophy.

Pictured below celebrating runners-up place are Samantha and her team-mates. Front row (from left) are Cadet Corporals Rebecca Harrison and Rhianna Lilburn from Gransha Detachment and, back row (from left) are Cadet Sergeant Ben Cousins (Peninsula Detachment), Cadet Lance Corporal Erin Nelson (Donaghadee Detachment), Cadet Company Sergeant Major Samantha Newell (Gransha Detachment), Cadet Corporal Melissa McDevitt (Peninsula Detachment), Cadet Sergeant Mark Spiers (Dundonald Detachmet) and Cadet Corporal David O’Sullivan (Donaghadee Detachment).

To round off the presentations, Down High School Detachment won the hotly contended March & Shoot Trophyand are pictured below:

Front row (from left) Cadet Corporal Stewart Burns, Cadet Lance Corporal Alan Hillis, Cadet Lance Corporal Thomas Tate and Cadet Jamie Graham and, back row, (from left) Cadet Corporal Darren Cushley, Cadet Corporal Sam Leckey, Cadet Lance Corporal Jack Crichton and Cadet Sergeant Dominic Reynolds.

All of the teams thoroughly enjoyed the competition and will soon be brushing up their skills ready for the 2015 competition.