Sunday 15th January saw the cadets of 495 (Harborne and Quinton) Sqn take part in the Wing football tournament against 496 Sqn. This was a quarter final match so there was plenty at stake as the cadets arrived at the Woodrush School .

Following an inspection of the Astro Turf pitch it was decided by Flt Lt Brendan O'Neill, the referee for the match, that the game could go ahead despite the cold conditions on the day.

Unfortunately, only 10 cadets were able to play for 485 Sqn, but they all acquitted themselves tremendously well on the day.

The game started with both teams getting used to the pitch and after 10 minutes, 485 Sqn opened the scoring with a good goal. However, the 496 team came back immediately with a fine equalizer. The 496 team then started to take a hold on the game and they piled the pressure on to the 485 goal and by half time they were 3-1 up.

The second half was an attritional battle. 485 Sqn made some changes in the team and this seemed to give them a better shape. With 10 minutes to go, Cdt Hitchman latched on to a ball and scored a fantastic goal, this brought the game back to 3-2. Despite the pressure on the 496 goal, they held out and they then broke away to score another goal.

The game finished with 496 Sqn winning the game 4-2.

Flt Lt Jennings, OC 485 Sqn commented “Firstly I would like to thank Flt Lt O'Neill for taking on the referee duties on the day, he didn't get too many abusive comments!! I would also like to thank FS Coates for booking the pitch and other facilities. I would also like to personally thank all the cadets who played for our Sqn on the day. They played the complete 70 minutes and were a bit tired at the end! This was a hard fought game and I wish Flt Lt Slade and his team all the best for the semi-final game, well done!”