The Royal Navy win the IST20 for the first time in 14 years 10 June 2024 Storyline: Cricket The Inter-Services cricket T20 tournament took place at Lords Cricket Ground and saw the Navy break the Army’s winning streak. In one of the closest contested T20’s in Armed Forces history, the Royal Navy convincingly beat the Army by 46 runs in their first IS game at Middleton-on-Sea in prep for their game at lords. The Army beat the RAF in the first match at Lords in a reduced over game due to the unpredictable weather conditions. This resulted in the RAF having to beat the Navy to stand a chance of winning the competition. Although successful in beating the Army, this meant that all 3 teams ended up with 2 points each. Therefore, net run rate would come into competition to determine the winner. With a superior net run rate, the Royal Navy men were crowned IST20 champions 2024. The rain was threatening to call off all games at Lords, with the UKAF women’s game falling victim to the downpour in the morning. Fortune favoured the men and both the RAF v Army and Navy v RAF games went ahead in the afternoon. Cpl Sam Hewitt was awarded man of the tournament for his outstanding batting throughout the IS competition. The Royal Navy’s stoic performance was without doubt down to the strong leadership of team Captain, AET Ben Johnston. Next up on the Cricket Association calendar is the women’s IST20 on 13 June at Arundel Castle Cricket Ground.
