Heron Dominate Devonport in Navy Cup Opener

The first round of the Navy Cup saw HMS Heron take on Devonport in a highly anticipated contest. This was the first game that HMS Heron had played since the hard-fought season of 2022/ 2023. With a lot of new faces and participation from the whole station, the team looked to start the season on the best possible footing. After 2 months of preseason training, the squad was eventually ready to pull on the HMS Heron shirts and start the campaign representing the station.

This contest was the first time the two teams had played against one another. Eagerness was there to not only start the season, but to match up against an unknown opponent. The match commenced, with the conditions perfect for a competitive game of rugby. Heron started the first half strong scoring within the first 5 minutes by Andrew Watson and converted by Harry Mayes. A further 3 tries were scored by Andrew Watson, with Harry Mayes having a successful afternoon with the boot only missing 1 conversion throughout the game.

After a positive first half for Heron, substitutions were made by the coaching staff to allow all the squad members to have a run out and put their skills on show and gain some match time. This didn’t affect the flow of the game and tries from Baker, Cador, Mills and Donaldson put Heron further in front on the scoreboard. Heron were strong in defence throughout the game, finishing the game with the final score 92 - 0. The score line didn’t reflect the nature of the hard fought game and Heron would like to wish Devonport all the best for the rest of their season.

The player of the match was awarded to Watson for his prolific display both in defence and attack, finishing the game with a hat trick to start the season. A full squad performance showed the work in preseason showcased, displaying the strength of the side. Heron will look to build on their performance in the next round when they take on RAF Marham.

HMS HERON: Reynolds, Carns, Robson; Ashton, Watson; Donaldson, Postle, Mills; Bowes, Mayes, Davidson, Cross, Cador, Wheeler, Cockerill.

Replacements: Foster, Baker, Aram, Young, Copner, Deadman.

Words by Sophie Goodwright

Images by Dave Allen