The RAF Akrotiri Flamingos stormed to a 20-17 victory over the UK-based Royal Logistic Corps in the final of the Akrotiri 10s rugby competition last week.
The annual tournament, which sees teams from both Cyprus and the UK take part, was hotly-contested as always and there was plenty for the loyal British Forces Cyprus rugby fans to cheer about on finals day.
Aside from the RAF Akrotiri Flamingos flying to victory in the most coveted competition of them all, there was also more to celebrate for the Dhekelia-based 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, who took home the Shield with victory over the RAF Movers in their final.
The standard of rugby at the Akrotiri 10s appears to get better every year and with the involvement of the Cyprus Ba Ba’s, who boast internationally capped players, being crowned champions is quite an achievement.
George Agathokleous, who has been capped 44 times for Cyprus and was part of a world-record run of 24 consecutive victories for his country, has been competing in the competition since 2002 and he said the standard every year is getting better.
Speaking after seeing his Cyprus Ba Ba’s side miss out on silverware this year, he revealed it was great to be involved once again.
“It went pretty well for us even though we didn’t end up where we wanted to be,” he said. “I have been involved in the Akrotiri 10s since about 2002 and the standard has always been really, really good, so we would have to be at our very best to get a result.
“There were some outstanding players and teams taking part this year and we sadly couldn’t compete at the level we needed to, with the players we had available to us.
“It was really good to be involved again and to test yourself individually against some of these players was a great opportunity.”
Rugby in Cyprus has endured mixed fortunes in recent years and it is safe to say it is not the most popular sport on the island but according to Agathokleous, there are signs of improvement on the international stage.
He continued: “After we broke the world record for the most consecutive matches won, we then experienced some bad results due to player retirements and things like that.
“However, we have now won our last two matches and played well, so it would seem that things are back on the up once again.
“Being able to take part in the Akrotiri 10s gives me some great individual training and that will hopefully put me in a good position when I take to the field playing for Cyprus again.”
The post BFC teams celebrate victory in Aki 10s appeared first on Cyprus Mail.
Read more → https://cyprus-mail.com/2019/05/31/bfc-teams-celebrate-victory-in-aki-10s/
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