England vs Australia One Day International

The RN Raiders are sometimes requested to attend some very high profile events. One such occasion was the Eng-Aus One Day International Cricket match at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. Aside from being an unusual landing area, the display was unusual because the timing of the drop needed to bhe even more precise than usual, down to the exact minute infact as the event was being televised on Sky Sports 1. The team had another very special duty aside from wowing the crowd with their colourful display; they had the important job of delivering the match ball to the referee! Ona beautifully warm, sunny day, the team exited the Britten Norman Islander which lifted them from Southampton airport (yes, the team did have to take their skydiving kit through the baggage scanners to get airside!).

Once out of the aircraft, Lt Cdr Gibbs lead the team down to land near the referee ready to present the ball. The display itself was also unusual because we had a large number of flags on display. These included, of course, the White Ensign, the flag of Northrop Grumman who support the team, the Nationwide flag who sponsor the Cricket and finally the Royal Marines Corps flag. Nicci, Elkie CPO Gregory did the usual fantastic job on the ground, managing the dropzone and building up the excitement of the crowd. All in all, the team had a fantastic day, the organisers were very happy with the display and the RN Raiders look forward to a repeat performance later in the year when they jump into the Eng-Pak One Day International.