For the third time in a row, 1st Armoured Regiment showed they’ve got the mettle, winning the Coral-Balmoral Cup for best overall unit at the annual Armoured Corps military skills competition held at the School of Armour.
After a year off because of COVID-19, 1st Armoured Regiment secured the cup by two and a half points, narrowly beating 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) after both units scored big wins in the cavalry and tank categories respectively.
Crews navigated physical, technical and tactical challenges during the five-day competition from September 4-10 and were tested in both individual and crew skills.
Endurance activities on land and in the pool were designed to get the heart racing and led into communications equipment and marksmanship assessments.
Soldiers were then tested with theory and practical driving and servicing, and simulated and live-fire assessments of gunnery.
1st Armoured Regiment Australian light armoured vehicle commander, and winner of the Wood Memorial Cup for champion cavalry crew, Lance Corporal Lochlan Phillips, said he could hold his head high following the regiment’s trifecta.
“It was an honour because our bosses said my crew was the best choice to represent the regiment,” Lance Corporal Phillips said.
“We really get around the Coral-Balmoral Cup – no pressure for the next crew!”
In the tank category, 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) were more than 50 points ahead of second placed 1st Armoured Regiment, winning the Macarthur-Onslow Trophy for champion tank crew.
“It was a pretty tight competition, even if the scoreboard didn’t reflect that,” 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry) tank commander Corporal Kane Ramsden said.
“We didn’t really know where we stood until the end.”
The competition culminated in tactical assessments, including individual vehicle craft and both day and night navigation.
Both winning commanders said the final event, the Tiger Chase, was a highlight.
Tiger Chase was a free-play scenario with points awarded for holding features and destroying opposing crews.
School of Armour adjudicators sat inside the vehicles to judge the communication within the crews and awarded points for correct fire commands and contact reporting.
Winning crews have the opportunity to travel to North America to compete against international militaries in US and Canadian Army tank and cavalry competitions held every two years.
