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Air Force’s best make rep team
By Barry Rollings
Volume 49, No. 17, September 20, 2007 |
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GIRL POWER: Air Force women players, from left, CPL Leonie Midgley, OFFCDT Gabrielle Cook, OFFCDT Brodie Murphy and OFFCDT Margaret Quinn.
Photo by WGCDR Ernie Walsh |
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AIR FORCE’S role in the winning women’s team at the Australian Services Rugby Union championships, which ended in Canberra on August 18, produced three berths in the representative team.
The three Air Force women selected after the five-tries-to-two performance were OFFCDT Margaret Quinn, OFFCDT Brodie Murphy and LACW Leonie Midgley. They were members of the combined Air Force/Navy team which beat Army 25-10 to lift the CDRE Mick Dunn RAN Cup from the defending champions.
The Air Force men, who came desperately close to beating Navy on day two of the championships before losing by a point, had seven players selected.
They were FSGT Jason Ryan, FLGOFF Will Scott, LAC Richard Falkenmire, CPL Mike McCabe, LAC Adam King, FLTLT Leigh Foster and CPL James Hood.
Combined Navy/Air Force women beat the CDRE Mick Dunn RAN Cup titleholders, Army, 25-10 for the women’s trophy at the titles.
Navy/Air Force women 25 (tries to LS Cassy Van Rythoven 2, LACW Leonie Midgley, AB Catherine Scott, LS Kim Thomson) beat Army 10.
Navy men 12 beat Air Force 11 (tries to OFFCDT Andre Holmes and LAC Stuart Johnson, 2 penalty goals).
Army men 64 beat Air Force 0.
Meanwhile, in the Riverina, RAAF Base Wagga achieved a long-awaited sports breakthrough against Army Kapooka.
RAAF Wagga and Army Kapooka have been rugby adversaries for many years with Kapooka dominating most matches. Air Force had not won a game against Kapooka since 1991 until its
17-0 breakthrough in a third-grade Wagga civilian competition.
Army’s forwards dominated early with Air Force defending its line resolutely – led by AC Lachlan Woolford and AC Timothy Chatterton – for most of the first half.
AC Aaron Lobendahn sprinted down the sideline to score the first try in the corner and give Air Force a 7-0 half-time lead. Air Force began to dominate the second half as Army tired.
Determined play by both forwards and backs produced two tries. AC Michael Beasley outpaced Army’s backline to score and AC Thomas Cooper, playing his first rugby game, also scored.
Best for Air Force were AC Bryce Robertson and AC Woolford with a strong performance by AC Phillip Whitcher.
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