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The
mixed team from Albatross takes on the competition at
Randwick.
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Photo:
ABPH Bradley Darvill
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HMAS
Albatross asserted its dominance on the touch football field
winning the Adelaide Cup held at Queens Park Randwick last
month.
Twenty-four teams from across the state and HMAS Cerberus
contested this year’s competition, reflecting the popularity
of this sport.
After the earlier round-robin stage, HMAS Albatross had all
three of their teams finishing first in their respective groups
with AUSCDTONE on top of the fourth group.
The top teams from each group then played the second-placed
teams from a different group for the quarter-finals, eventually
leaving just four teams in the competition - HMAS Albatross
Old Boys, HMAS Albatross Two, AUSCDTONE and HMAS Ballarat.
In the first semi-final, the grudge match between Albatross
Old Boys and Albatross Two was always going to be a closely
contested match.
After trailing 1-0, Albatross Two pegged back the deficit
to 1-all with only a few minutes remaining in the semi-final.
But the Albatross Old Boys used all their years of experience
to score the match-winning try and booked a place in the final.
The second semi-final saw AUSCDTONE take on the team from
HMAS Ballarat.
In an entertaining match, the divers’ superior fitness and
ball skills proved to be too much for Ballarat with the divers
taking out the match comfortably and setting up an exciting
final between the experienced Albatross Old Boys and their
younger fitter opponents.
The game started tight with few errors.
A succession of quick plays helped Albatross to a 1-0 lead.
After several disallowed tries to both teams, Bob Clarke from
Albatross went over in the corner to help them to a 2-0 lead.
The divers had to hit back fast if they were to stay in the
match and after back-to-back sets of six, scored a great try
to trail by one with only three minutes left.
The
Albatross Old Boys put the game beyond doubt one minute later
when they scored one of the best tries of the day.
Travelling through 12 sets of hands, a great inside ball found
CPOATV Ray Winkler who sealed the game 3-1 to Albatross.
Albatross Two completed a double for the base by taking out
the Benny Hill Plate 5-0 over HMAS Ballarat.
HMAS Albatross has now won the Adelaide Cup eight years in
a row to continue their dominance on the touch football field.
The Adelaide Cup and Hill Plate were first contested back
in 1989 after HMAS Adelaide’s ships company and WOPT Benny
Hill donated the trophies.
