This weekend, nine Royal Marines cadets from King’s College competed in the prestigious Sir Steuart Pringle Trophy Competition at the Marines Commando Training Centre in Lympstone.
There were 17 school RM sections in attendance including, amongst others, Shrewsbury, Pangbourne, Canford and Bradfield. Each year these sections come to Lympstone to compete in an arduous two day event which tests the cadets both physically and mentally. On the first day the cadets were assessed on ten stances, including section attacks, first aid, weapon handling, camouflage and map reading.
The second day consisted of an endurance race, around the hardest endurance course in the country, comprising all-terrain runs, ‘Peter’s Pool’, tunnels and the notorious ‘sheep dip’. The endurance race is followed by a drill assessment, a well-earned lunch and prize giving. The King’s team won the endurance race as well as the drill stance and the camouflage stance, bringing these trophies back to King’s. Overall the team placed second in the competition, losing out by the narrowest of margins to Shrewsbury School.
These wins follow many years of success in the competition, confirming King’s status as one of the best Royal Marines cadet sections in the country. The school has either won or come second in five of the past six years. The CCF (which also has army and navy sections) is a popular option at King’s and provides first-rate training to pupils in a range of skills.
The team is delighted with this result, having trained hard for several weeks, often in the early mornings or late evenings. OC RM Section, Capt Steve King RMR said: “Special praise is due to the team captain, Sebastian Manger, and to Capt Pete Belfield RMR for his efforts in training the King’s team prior to the competition”.
The other members of the team were: Benedict Wagstaff, Henry Biggs, Oliver Guess, Benjamin Wright, Hamish Urquhart, Jack Lavender, Samuel Sprague and Samuel Everard.
Photographer: Vicki Crandley. Left to right, back row: Jack Lavender, Samuel Everard, Sebastian Manger, Oliver Guess and Samuel Sprague. Front row: Henry Biggs, Benedict Wagstaff, Hamish Urquhart and Benjamin Wright.