RAF VICTORIOUS AT THE INTER-SERVICES TWENTY20 COMPETITION
The Inter-Services Twenty20 Festival took place at the Royal Navy Cricket Ground at
Burnaby Road in Portsmouth on 4 June 2009. On a bright and sunny day, the opening match
of the 2009 competition produced 300 runs and resulted in a narrow win for the Army over the
Royal Navy by 5 runs.
This result meant that the RN had to play the Royal Air Force in the second game of the day.
The RN captain chose to bat first, but his batsmen struggled to score runs against excellent
RAF bowling and fielding. Only Dave Upton with 37 and Alvin Pollard with 23 made any
significant contribution in a final score of 122 for 9 wickets. In reply the RAF response was
very strong with Mark Bray making 21, Ross Diver 37 not out and Matt Compton 32 and with
the score at 114 for 1 after 16 overs, an early result was expected by all. However Dave
Upton suddenly took 4 RAF wickets for 2 runs in 2 overs and things became quite exciting
and the game went into the final over. At this point Paul Turner calmly stroked the ball to the
boundary to give the RAF victory by 3 wickets.
Royal Navy
Royal Air Force
122 for 7 (20)
124 for 7 (19.2)
The final match brought back the much-fancied Army side to face a jubilant RAF team. The
RAF batted first and although Mark Bray (32) looked to be comfortable, some tight and varied
Army bowling threatened to severely restrict the RAF total. However, late contributions from
Rob Priestley with 23 and a quick 15 not out from Danny Rock took the score to 136 for 7
from the 20 overs. Whilst the majority of the assembled pundits did not consider that total to
be sufficient, the buoyant RAF side had other ideas and displayed bowling, fielding and
catching of the highest order. Matt Compton used his bowlers imaginatively, mixing spin and
pace, and despite a solid effort from Stu Houghton with 65 runs the Army were always behind
the required run rate and eventually fell 13 runs short with a total of 123 at the close. Matt
Compton finished with figures of 3 for 29. This was a well-deserved victory for the RAF who
won their first ever Inter-Services Twenty20 Championship.
Royal Air Force
The Army
136 for 7 (20)
123 for 7 (20)
After the match, the Energy Plus trophy was presented to Matt Compton and THALES
mementoes were presented to each of the RAF team and all officials by Mrs Tina Dolan Communications Officer, Thales Missile Electronics Ltd. For his efforts with both bat and ball
and his excellent Captaincy and leadership of the winning team, Matt Compton was awarded
the Player of the Tournament.
Overall the day was an outstanding success, enjoyed by players, officials and spectators alike
and the Royal Navy deserve great credit for their excellent hospitality.
Flt Lt Matt Compton receiving the EDF Trophy from Mrs Tina Dolan, Communications Officer,
Thales Missile Electronics Ltd
The Victorious RAF Twenty20 Squad