Almanack: Lonely battle of the forces

FRIENDS met in the Twickenham car park, as ever, for a noggin or twain before the game last Wednesday. But when the spectators filed into the stadium, noise of chatter and community singing was entirely absent. As the annual match between the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force kicked off, the arena was virtually empty.

The few spectators - the organisers say there were 1,500, the stadium puts the figure at 450 - gathered in the West Stand, facing the towering, deserted green acreage of the new stands. It might have been any club crowd: young men in souvenir rugby shirts and older men in Barbours. But, on closer inspection, the rugby shirts bore little enamel badges that said 'Proud to be in the Royal Navy', and the ties under the Barbours proclaimed allegiance to squadron or fleet.

You could hear everything that went on: the referee's cries of 'Stay bound]', the tactical calls at line-outs, the thud of tackles. And of course, individual spectator's cries. The Navy supporters were the loudest: 'Come orn the senior service]' cried one gent. 'Come orn Navy]' chipped in another. 'Wiiii-gaaan]' supplied a third, who had perhaps had one tot too many in the car park.

The Navy needed all the support they could get, for the RAF quickly attained cruising altitude and performed some elegant loops and rolls. The star performers were Cpl Paul Hull of Bristol and RAF Lyneham, Flying Officer (Trainee) Ed Rayner of Oxford University, and - at full-back - Flt Lt Rory Underwood of Leicester, England and RAF Finningley.

Hull's kicks launched quick counter-attacks, Underwood zoomed into the line on the overlap for a lovely try late in the first half, and the speedy and strong Rayner scored two tries on his RAF debut. The airmen won 22-12, a scoreline which reflected their flair and the Navy's determined resistance.

What a shame so few people were there. It was a terrible waste of a fine game, and all the more inexplicable given the hordes who packed the place for the mediocre Varsity match. Desmond Leach, co-ordinator of the Services championship, gave the impression that the nation's aerial defenders have trouble shipping their supporters to games. 'The two RAF games do not attract quite so many people,' Mr Leach admitted. 'The Army and Navy game attracted 12,000 supporters. Even though the RAF have had the best players over the last three years, they somehow cannot drum up the esprit de corps you get with the other teams.'

Regular Army-Navy games began in 1907, but the championship proper first took place in 1920, when the RAF joined in and Twickenham became the regular venue. The Army are top dogs, with 28 championship wins, and in their National Service heyday in the early 1950s the games attracted 30,000 people to Twickenham - some contrast to last week's gate.

But the organisers are upbeat about next Wednesday's game, when the Army (star player Tim Rodber) meet the RAF for this year's title and a new trophy, the Willis Corroon Bowl. It should be a great game; what a shame there won't be a great crowd.

(Photograph omitted)