Supported Teams Blog

East Cowes Vics AFC vs. Frimley Green FC

The East Cowes Vics travelled to Surrey for their most important game of the season – the Wessex League Division One play-off final.
Frimley Green FC have been unbeaten at home for the last 19 months, winning 24 games this season. It’s safe to say this was a nail-biting day for the East Cowes Vics, as winning this game meant a promotion to the Wessex Premier Division.

Frimley started off fast with decent attempts at the goal which were brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Alex Ram. Vics also created counter attacks and were awarded a free kick which was saved by the Frimley keeper. By half time it was 0 – 0, a pretty even first half. 

In the second half the Vics had to make some changes to their formation due to injuries within the team. Despite this, the Vics look the lead scoring on the 48th minute! Frimley tried their hardest to get past the Vics goalkeeper eventually scoring a goal on the 94th minute of the game. With the game ending at 1 – 1, it was time for penalties!

The Vics effortlessly scored 4 penalties against Frimley’s 1, which will see them in the Wessex Premier Division next season – where they’ll join another Isle of Wight Team, Cowes Sports FC. 

An amazing achievement by the club and very well deserved. Huge congratulations and well done to everyone involved

On Sunday 27th  April, Casey Byrne and Rollo Dixon of NAUT Cycling Club & Race Team took part in the Velo Club Venta Road Race at the Crawley Circuit on the mainland. The 42-mile race consisted of approximately 7.5 laps of the challenging course. 

Rollo commented “It started fast, accelerating on each uphill section, and the downhills, as riders tried to get away. I took a little while to settle in, initially sitting mid-pack. A solo rider attacked & was joined by a handful of others a couple of laps in. They built a sizeable gap & stayed away till the end.” 

Casey also spoke about his time on the track – “Really great first road race of the season! I spent most of the first half surfing wheels towards the back, trying to feel my way into it a bit.”

Rollo finished 26th overall and Casey finished in 13th place out of 49 participants.

Well done to you both! Another great race to add to the year.

On  26th April,  young athletes from the Isle of Wight Underwater Hockey Club travelled to Worcester to compete in the Regional Underwater Hockey Tournament. Among the competitors were two teams proudly representing the Island in the U11 and U14 categories.

The competition was tough with competitors evenly matched most of the way, showcasing their best skills in the water. The Under 11 team did an excellent job, finishing in 5th place. Meanwhile, the Under 14 teams battled through tightly matched games to finish in an impressive 3rd place overall.

Both the U11 and U14s showed great teamwork and sportsmanship, giving it their all. Well done everyone!

Ventnor Cricket club 1st XI welcomed their first opponent, Hampshire Cricket Academy, for the first pre-season game of the 2025 season. The game saw a great contest in some fine weather. Both teams had to work hard and put in a solid shift, with a tightly fought game ending in Hampshire academy winning by just 35 runs. For their second pre-season game the following week, Ventnor 1st XI played against Fair Oak Cricket Club, where it was a close game with Ventnor winning by four wickets.

A strong start to the season, well done everyone! 

Alongside competing in the Hampshire League, members of the Isle of Wight Squash Team have also been participating in regional, national, and international events. Tim Luker represented Hampshire in the Men’s Over 65 Team at the Masters Inter County Championships on 6th April, beating Lancashire 2-1 to become National County Champions for 2025. Chris Green also represented Hampshire for his age group and the team finished a very credible 4th place. 

Adam Dominey, George Shoulder, Chris Green, and Tim Luker have been competing in Master Squash tournaments across the country. Adam Dominey reached the semi-finals playing some top level players at the British National Squash Championships and the semi-final of the Northern England Masters Squash tournament. 

George Shoulder also had a very impressive first season, winning the final of the Southern Regional event held in Cheltenham back in October, which put George as the front-runner for this year’s tournament. George also reached the semi-finals of the Northern England Masters Squash tournament against some very talented players!

In March Adam Dominey represented England for the second time in his squash career, playing in the prestigious Transatlantic Masters event in Dublin. Adam was part of the winning team to take home the gold medal and will be representing England again at the end of the month - in the Home Internationals event held in Nottingham!

Congratulations everyone, we can’t wait to see what the year has in store!

The Isle of Wight Squash Team have finished their season in the Hampshire League on 31st March. 

The Island Squash 3rd Team had a fantastic season in Division 4, finishing 2nd by a single point to gain promotion to Division 3 next season. All players showed great enthusiasm and commitment throughout the whole season, winning 15 of their 18 matches. Team captain Tim Luker said, “we are looking forward to playing stronger opposition next season and are up for the challenge”.

  
Their 2nd Team had a very tough season. After gaining promotion last season to Division 1 they had to pull out all the stops to stay in this division. After losing a few players to university and injury the islanders won only two of their 16 matches - which sadly means will be relegated to Division 2 next season.  

The Island’s Top Squash Team had a very credible season in the Premier League. Winning 5 of their 16 matches it all came down to the last match of the season to secure enough points to stay in the division. Unfortunately, they fell short by six points which means the team will play in the Championship League next season. Captain Adam Dominey said “we will fight hard next season to get back up to the top league next, and the goal will be to stay there for the following season”.

The new season for the Hampshire league starts in September. In the meantime, the team now move on to regional, national, and international fixtures.

Well done everyone!
 

Solent vs Jets

With Solent Netball team winning their last game against Winchester, it was time for their final game of the season against the Jets - who were third in the league table. The Jets started with two goals on the bounce, and despite arriving late, Solent settled quickly with a few goals moving themselves ahead. With good steady passing, Solent were up 13 – 6 in the first quarter. 

To try to counter Solent's flow, the Jets made some changes. However, Solent continued the second quarter as they started – their attacking play when in possession was strong, with good decisions being made. Although the wind was strong and caused some errors, Solent's shooters managed to win the ball and finished this quarter still ahead, 22 v 12.

In the third quarter Solent allowed Jets to score four goals in a row before they dug back in. Jets made more tactical changes, but Solent continued to match them, defending well throughout the whole court and making good interceptions. 

Solent then started with their own run of four goals, with two great turnovers in their last quarter. With good defending from end to end   with safe, confident passes, resetting when needed. Solent won this quarter finishing Solent 47 v 32 Jets, enough to see them finish 4th in the league table this season!

Well done everyone!

Ventnor travelled to Aldershot to play their last game of the season against Fleet. And as it was their last game, it was only right to bring a few local supporters with them across the water! While the first half of the game was a struggle for the team, Ventnor Rugby Club came back to lead 7-5 over their opponents. 

Morton and skipper Ben Savill did well in the lineout which provided plenty of good possession, but runners were getting isolated with support players flopping off their feet at rucks and the referee’s whistle started to dominate the game. 

This took an effect on Ventnor’s rhythm and kicks were suddenly finding opposition runners and inviting pressure back on their line. Ben Souter did well as the last line of defense, but the tide broke through in the end and the home team scored two late tries taking the win. The game ended with Aldershot & Fleet 17 – 7 Ventnor.

Great news for the Vectis Equestrian Club! Three of their riders have qualified to represent the Isle of Wight at the British Dressage South & West Inter County Championships, taking place at Bicton Arena, Devon over the early May bank holiday. Talented riders Laura Crew, Julie Hoskyns and Sue Morris will represent Vectis, the Island, and Red Funnel at the mainland event.

Good luck everyone!

After riding the ‘Misery on the Milly’, the cycling club took on the first Wightlink CRT Time Trial (TT) Series on the Pearl 10 course - 10 miles along the Military Road, with the turn at the top of the ascent to the Blackgang roundabout.

They experienced a contrast of weather at this event from their last, with blustery crosswinds and gusting headwinds on the way out and the return leg! Their next event of the evening series will be the Ningwood 10 mile TT on the 8th of May. 

The Isle of Wight Underwater Hockey junior team had an outstanding afternoon at the St Alban’s tournament on 29TH March! 

Both the Under 11s and Under 14s teams gave a strong performance, showing excellent teamwork, defensive strength, agility, and offensive play in the water. They were against teams from St Albans, Guildford, Dunstable, and more, but the junior teams held their ground and remained undefeated, winning 10 out of their 11 matches. Both teams secured top honours in their respective sections, earning gold medals!

Congratulations everyone!

East Cowes Vics are currently sitting 4th in Wessex Division 1 and are in a great position to finish the season in the play-off places, a chance for them to be promoted to the Wessex Premier League. They also won the IOW Gold Cup semi-final against Newport FC, with the game ending in a 4-1 victory.

They’re now through to play Cowes Sports FC in the IOW Gold Cup Final on 10th May, taking place at Westwood Park, Cowes. Best of luck to the Vics!

As NAUT Cycling Club approach the end of their first quarter of 2025, lots of their members have been concentrating on getting in shape for the many events they’re taking part in later in the year. Members have been travelling off-Island to places like Mallorca and Tenerife, with others tackling gravel rides in Scotland and mountain biking events in Wales and South Downs Way in Surrey.

On Sunday 23rd of March members of the NAUT Cycling Club & Race Team took on the Wightlink CRT ‘Misery on the Milly’ which is a 35km individually timed trail heading up and back along the Military Road. The riders were lucky with great weather and minimal crosswinds on the day of the event. Many riders achieved personal bests and three NAUT riders finished in the top 10!

Other events that the team are looking forward to this year are:

- South Coast Cycling Time Trial (CTT) events
- Wightlink Time Trial Evening Series
- Wightlink Isle of Wight Classic Road Race
- Offroad events - from the Island to the South Coast, Wales, and further afield
- The Island Games in Orkney
- Training trips to Mallorca
- LEJOG (riding from Lands End to John O'Groats over the course of 10 days)

On Sunday 23rd of March Ventnor Cricket Club (B team) played at the Isle of Wight indoor cricket league against the Isle of Wight Prison Officers cricket club. The youth team was led by Ben Fry this season who led them to win 6 out of 7 games which took them to league championship. The game on Sunday was no different where Ventnor Cricket Club B won by 81 runs. Finishing with Ventnor Cricket Club (B team) 19 – 2 IW Prison Officers.

A great finish to the season!

Ventnor 1st XV 26 - 45 Andover 2nds XV

With only 13 players to start Ventnor Rugby Club offered Andover a friendly match. Within the current Hampshire RFU rules, this meant that Ventnor forfeited the points but did not have penalty league points deducted. However, in the end Ventnor managed to gather 16 players for their squad but despite this the game remained a friendly.

Andover scored early following a tap penalty and a drive by their forwards, but it was Ventnor who then turned on the style with a great showing from Louis Wyatt. Ventnor continued to probe, and their energy was beginning to tell on the Andover squad. This left the scores at 26 – 21 at half-time.

The home side (Andover) scored early in the second half and Ventnor were down to a fourteen-man squad. Andover were able to use this advantage of their superiority in numbers to score again to take the score out to 40 – 21. They finished off their friendly game with Andover 45 – 26 Ventnor Rugby Club.

The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Jason Coltham

Adam from the Isle of Wight Squash Team recently represented England in the Transatlantic Masters Squash event held in Dublin, playing matches against competitors from Ireland, USA and Canada. 

Getting off to a great start, he won his first match 11-3, 11-3, 11-9, while also beating Canada 11-5, 11-4, 11-2 - contributing to two England victories.

Congratulations Adam!

The Starlight Academy travelled to Havant to compete at the Hotshots Dance Competition. Starlight came away a very decorated team, winning 9 golds, 5 silvers and 5 bronze medals in different dance disciplines - as well as getting six special mentions, like Callum Yates winning the Senior Choreography Challenge and members also placing within the top 10 in other dance challenges.

Congratulations everyone!

For the Panthers in March – Harvey and Dom who have been training to make the Team GB squad this year had their first international fight representing team GB at the WAKO World Cup in Jesolo, Italy! With nearly 4,000 fighters competing over three days, it’s said that the atmosphere was electric, and the level of competition was unparalleled. Harvey placed 2^nd in his group taking home a silver medal. While Dom placed 3rd in his group taking home a bronze medal!

Well done to you both!

Ventnor 1st XV  18 – 19 Eastleigh 2nd XV

Another home game for Ventnor Rugby club at Watcombe.  Eastleigh started strongly against the home team with just two changes from the previous week.  Lewy Morton led the tackling numbers with Ben Cooper, Alec Bulpitt and Jack Gilbey not too far behind. For some time, Eastleigh’s dominance of possession and territory was weakened. 

Ventnor came back even stronger and followed a period of play where they sent in attacks from all angles. The Islanders pounded the opposition line with relentless aggression which sucked in defenders and allowed Souter to get the ball wide where super-quick hands from Ottley, Cooper and Bulpitt put Louis Wyatt for a fabulous try in the corner so that the half-time score was 5 – 14.

Ventnor began the second half on the front foot, Ventnor were truly back in the game with the score at 12 – 14.  Ventnor kept up the pressure so that the Islanders took the lead for the first time. Eastleigh then had a second player yellow-carded, and Crews took another three points with the clock almost in the red. Eastleigh kicked for the corner and – despite a massive effort in defence – forced their way over for a try to take the win as the whistle blew for full-time.

Despite the loss, Ventnor gave a performance with grit, spirit and determination!

The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Tom Smith

A few updates from the club. So far this year, Alison Heywood has qualified for the British Dressage National Championships with her freestyle to music programme at Elementary level. Julie Hoskyns has qualified for the summer Pet Plan Area Championships and has also been attending a training camp in February at Sparsholt College. Members are also confirmed to be attending the Summer Area Festival at Sparsholt College and The Riding Club Area Eventing in late March.

Vectis have also planned a training clinic on the Island in April with Mark Corbett, an International Event Rider and British Eventing Accredited Coach.

Solent 42 - 29 Ravens Crest

As Solent Netball Club approaches the end of their season, teams are fighting for points to stay out of the relegation positions which makes games tougher.

Ravens Crest and Winchester are currently battling to stay off the bottom and Solent Netball team still have both teams to play. 

Playing Ravens Crest first, there were lots of contact calls made against Solent, with a warning issued and one player was spoken to about persistent obstruction after only one obstruction had been called against her. Despite this, they remained in control of the game and ended a challenging first quarter 10-7. 

Going into second quarter, Solent made a substitution due to the warning that had been given and with this it took a bit of time to adjust and settle back in. During this time, the Ravens scored three or four goals on the bounce which quickly refocused Solent, who began to get the ball through to their shooters again who were working hard and scoring well.

Although they were in a comfortable position early on, things can change quickly. Every member of the team played hard and competed for possession to try and pull away further. With three games left until the end of their season, Solent Netball Club put on a great team performance winning 42 - 29 Ravens Crest.

Player of match: Charlotte

Isle of Wight 24-34 Fareham Heathens

In their final home league game of the season, IW were defeated by Heathens in a close contest. Wearing their new kit and watched by a large crowd in the spring sunshine, IW played well in the first half but unfortunately lost as the match went on, with injuries also interrupting their momentum.

IW have not been renowned for starting well in home games this season, but the opening seconds were particularly disastrous on this occasion, as IW looked to clear from the kick-off but were charged down. IW put this behind them quickly. They built a strong spell of possession, before Ian Puzey burrowed over from close range, levelling the scores. Confidence started to build and IW were next to score: strong scrummaging provided the foundation and a break by centre David Blackman was supported by his brother Luke for a fine try. George Huish converted both scores and IW led 14-7 at this juncture.

Scoring dried up in the second half by comparison, and IW were forced on the defensive as Heathens pressed. Fareham took the lead with a well-crafted cross-kick finished by their winger. 

The victors finished on the attack and scored a converted try towards the end, taking the losing bonus points away from the Islanders. While disappointed to lose, IW had played well in parts and left everything on the pitch. 

Well done everyone. The Isle of Wight Rugby Club play Petersfield next!

After receiving his black belt the previous week, Harvey competed at the Kickboxing GB tatami nationals on the weekend! Unfortunately no medals this time round but competing against the highest level in the UK is a success in itself!

Next up another event for Harvey and Aaron at the Hastings Kombat Academy fight night on the 22nd of February. Harvey won by dominating for 3 rounds with a great display of kicks, sweeps and boxing.

After 2 years out of the ring, Aaron fought in a very well matched bout against the home fighter. Unfortunately, after 3 rounds he didn’t get the decision. Despite this, both boys fought really well!

Well done Harvey and Aaron.

With several players travelling with the 1st XV team to Portsmouth, skipper Jack Rushton was forced to shuffle his pack. Despite this, Ventnor started strongly with the spine of the team defining the play to put the team on the front foot. Chichester came back strongly and the vocal crowd then witnessed the spirit and determination of the Ventnor team as they held out against a furious assault on their line exacerbated by several close-in penalties. With this good stream of possession the Islanders were able to stay on the front foot. Ottley restored the artistry of rugby with a pin-point kick ahead for Wood to sprint in and just beat the defence for his second try. 

The second half began with a fightback from Chichester where both of their wingers were able to get around the Ventnor defence and score tries. Ventnor went back on the offence but an opposition forward was injured and Cooper had to leave the field to even up the teams at fourteen versus fourteen. Unfortunately this was just about the last of the action as two more Chichester players took knocks whilst trying to stop yet another Broomfield charge and the referee blew for time early to end an entertaining game in which the spirit and growing self-belief of this Ventnor team were on full display resulting in the final result of Ventnor 29 - 12 Chichester. 

The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Olly Wood and Jack Rushton

Ventnor 2nd XV v Fareham Heathens 2nd XV

Fareham Heathens came across to Watcombe with a strong team, some fleet-footed backs and a set of powerful forwards. Ventnor were on the defensive from the first whistle, but it was a task they were more than prepared for with Nathan Frampton, Luke Steele, Ben Cooper and Tom Smith leading the way. Despite this effort the Heathens were able to get round the edge and score a couple of early tries.

From this unpromising position, the Islanders began to make progress with Skelley and Harvey Wheeler leading the charge. Ventnor put on the afterburners which hoisted the opposition front-row skywards. From the resultant penalty, Harris flicked the ball to Will Bloomfield and the big farmer skittled the defenders and touched down for an outstanding try. Ottley calmly slotted the extras so that the halftime score ended up an encouraging 7 - 12.

Unfortunately for the vocal crowd at Watcombe, the Heathens were able to increase their lead with a couple of tries when Ventnor attacks broke down but the home team showed plenty of ambition. Then in the final move of the match, Bloomfield picked up at the base of yet another dominant scrum and kicked ahead. Harvey Wheeler was first to the resultant breakdown and Broomfield was back on hand to crash over for his second try. Once again Ottley slotted the extras to bring the final score to 14 - 29.

Although this was a defeat, it once more marked another step forward for this developing team in which the team spirit is indomitable.

The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Will Bloomfield

Early in the month, Adam Dominey from the Isle of Wight Squash team competed in the Quarter Finals of the British Nationals against his England Team mate Paul Boyle. The final score resulted in a loss for Adam however it was an exciting game with incredibly close scores! 

Well Done Adam!

Members of the Isle of Wight Kickboxing Club recently travelled to the Basingstoke Kickboxing Organisation (BKO) Fight Night, where team members Sali and Isaac competed. Sali took a win, which was a big moment for him after a few tough losses, but he’s now back and better than ever. Fellow Panther Isaac was fighting a level up, the competition being his first time under the lights on a fight night. Unfortunately, he lost but gave a great performance, scoring high level techniques throughout the match. 

Well done Sali & Isaac, a great start to the year!

Continuing into their 2024 - 2025 season, Ventnor Rugby Club travelled across the water on the weekend with their 1st team playing Romsey on Saturday and their 2nd team playing the Tottonians at Watcombe Bottom on the Sunday.

It was a tough day at the office for Ventnor’s 1st XV. The team hadn’t played for five weeks and it showed as the first twenty minutes with errors made by both teams. Even so, the Islanders’ forwards were competing well with Jewy Jones, Dan Lythgoe and Ben Savill leading from the front. Early pressures led to a penalty and Romsey were first to get the scoreboard rolling with a try on their first foray into the Ventnor twenty-two. Ventnor were still competing well until Romsey scored a second try that the home team managed to impose their game plan.

After returning to the fray, Teague suffered a serious knee injury resulting in the game being moved to another pitch to allow him to receive medical treatment. This brought a change in Ventnor’s fortunes and they finally and deservedly crossed the whitewash after another crunching tackle by Alec Bulpit shook the ball loose and  Cory Turner picked up a bouncing ball to race under the posts from thirty metres for a try, which was converted by Ed Blake. Romsey scored one more try with the last play of the game.

Despite being on the receiving end, Ventnor worked hard throughput and this was commented on by the opposition’s supporters.

For Ventnor Rugby Club's 2nd team they won a hard-fought victory against Tottonians 3rds in their Hampshire Premier South league match.  

Ventnor continued on the front foot with a series of penalties and saw Warren Riches take a quick tap. Morton flung out a long pass and Luke Steele darted over. Despite some extreme pressure from their opponents, it was Ventnor who scored again and again which led them to power into and through the opposition ranks.

Receiving this win meant that Ventnor Rugby Club have lifted themselves to sixth in the league with a series of home games still to come!

1st Team - Final score Romsey 53 - Ventnor 7

2nd Team - Final score Ventnor  33 - Tottonians 22

In mid November Ventnor Cricket Club 2nd XI winners of The Hampshire Cricket League Division 3S  finally for their hands on the 2024 League trophy!

Another trophy the cricket club picked up was comes from their indoor team who has succesfully defended their 2023 title by winning the Isle of Wight Indoor Cup 2024, beating Northwood by 96 runs in the semi-final followed by a 3 wicket win against St. Helens.

Well done everyone, amazing achievements at the end of the year!

Ventnor Rugby Club’s new kits are in! 

To commemorate their 50th Anniversary, Ventnor Rugby club have unveiled a new kit for the 2025 season. The past couple of months have been a very busy start to the supported club’s season starting in late September - their first team playing in the Counties 3 Hampshire League and their second team playing in the Hampshire Premiership South League.

We’re looking forward to seeing those new kits on the pitch and Ventnor Rugby Club’s achievements as their match season continues into the new year

Our team of cyclist at NAUT have had another busy season in 2024, with members racing and taking part in events and rides all over the country and further afield both on and off road.

Members of NAUT Cycling and Race team have taken part in the Isle of Wight Randonnee,Ride London, Dorney Lake Triathlon, Road & Closed circuit racing in Goodwood, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Dorset and others including the Juniour Nationals and Cotswold 100 to name a few.

The club has also taken their members on cycling trips to various destinations including; Slovenia, Italy, France, Switzerland and Mallorca.

It's great to such a variation of people racing together, travelling and experiencing the world through cycling.

Well done to all at NAUT Cycling Club & Race Team!

It's been a fantastic year for local Kickboxing Team, the Isle of Wight Panthers, with more exciting events coming for the end of the year.

In October Harvey will be competing in the Bristol Open Tournament and some of the team will compete at Cimac Super league Tournament. In December, Dominic will represent Team GB at the European Championships. And finally towards the end of the year, members of the Isle of Wight Panthers will be competing in the WKO Ring sport tournament on the mainland.

Good luck everyone!

Starlight Academy have had a fantastic year, competing at several regional, national, and international dance events.

They were named as ‘Best Overall Dance School at both Hotshots and So You Want to Dance. They also took home the teacher’s award at Supreme Wiltshire and competed at the ‘Global Dance Open’ for the first time.

This year, two members of the Academy’s senior team have successfully gained places in professional full-time education in performing arts. To add to this, four students were awarded scholarships for prestigious mainland dance courses, while other Starlight dancers were recognised with awards and prizes for stand out performances at competitions.

The dance academy travelled to Kent to compete in national heats, where five junior dancers were to represent England across 12 events. The girls from the Isle of Wight came away with two 4th place trophies, one 3rd and one 2nd. Two young students, Lily and Diwata, came away as World Champions in under 10s lyrical duets.

England came 6th overall during a great week of dancing in the Netherlands, not only did the girls get compete at a global level, with were also privileged to train with world renowned choreographers during this year.

Incredible achievements for the students of Starlight Academy!

East Cowes Vics have had an unbelievable start to the season. As of 25th September Vics are top of Wessex League Div 1 with 7 wins from our opening 8 games. In October they'll be heading up to Gloucestershire to play Fairford Town FC in the FA Vase 1st Round.

East Cowes Vics will also be playing US Portsmouth FC in the Wessex League Cup 2nd Round after winning 4-3 on penalties against island rivals Newport FC, when the game ended 2-2 at Beatrice Avenue.  

Well done and Good luck!

As Ventnor Rugby Club begins the celebration of their 50th Anniversary, they kicked off the Hampshire League with the 1st XV home game against Andover & Fleet and their 2nd XV game away at Chichester. Ventnor Rugby Club has had excellent summer not just with their games but within their training and doing their bit for their local community.

Ventnor Rugby Club will be  introducing their new 1st and 2nd XV rugby kit in the next coming months commemorate their 50th Anniversary.

The IOW Panthers have been keeping busy this year.

They took part in the GB Nationals, coming away with two gold medals and two bronze medals.

The Panthers held their first interclub competition at the Panthers Dojo, which was a huge success and a great experience for many junior fighters.

They also travelled to Wales to compete with a team of 11 fighters, who all placed with medals!

Next up, the team have another Interclub comp planned, as well as tournaments towards the end of the year.

Panthers team member, Harvey Abbott will be representing Team GB at the World Championships this August!

Well done team, and good luck, Harvey!

The Vectis Equestrian Team recently travelled to Dorset to compete at Morton. 

The Senior Group won their section, and even qualified for the British Riding Clubs National Championships that will be held in Lincoln in September.

Junior rider, Mollie Sheath also qualified for the same competition in her junior class.

The team took home plenty of ribbons from this competition.

Dressage rider, Julie Hoskyns, a competitor, and committee member of Vectis Equestrian Club, travelled to Sparsholt College in Winchester to take part in the preliminary level competition at British Dressage, riding her horse Severine.

They placed 2^nd and 5^th and managed to qualify for the Pet Plan Area Festival in August. 

Severine is a 5-year-old Chestnut Oldenburg mare and is only just starting her competitive journey. This was only her second event on the mainland, and she has a lot to learn but shows great potential.

This year for Severine is a ‘training’ year which means they are going to different venues to gain experience. Their next outing will be the two-day show at "The Festival of Dressage" where Julie hopes to qualify Severine and her mare, Pauldary's Amaretto for the dressage to Music Area Festival, before going on to do Riding Club qualifiers for dressage and showjumping at Moreton in Dorset in July.

Well done Julie and Severine, we can't wait to see your progression!

Over twenty members of Ventnor Rugby Club including players, management and supporters travelled to the Midlands last month to play in a charity rugby event for The Nags Charity Barbarians.

The Nags are a charity rugby team that have been playing biannually for ten years, raising much needed funds for Cancer Research UK. To date, they have managed to raise over £210,000! This was the first time that Ventnor RFC had been represented at such an event, not just on the playing front.

All the layers played with fantastic commitment and proudly promoted the playing standard at the club.

The event at Tewkesbury RFC managed to raise over £30,000 pushing them ever so close to the quarter of a million milestone.

What a great event to be a part of and an amazing amount of money raised for a fantastic charity!

It’s been a busy few weeks for Ventnor Rugby Club, supporting the community and local events at their ground. 

The club recently entertained several mainland mini-rugby clubs totalling over 1,300 kids and parents enjoying themselves at Watcombe. The clubhouse, car parks and bar saw frenzied action but thanks to their hard-working band of volunteers, everyone got their fair share of bacon rolls and cups of tea. Despite the touch-and-go weather, the club received excellent feedback from the families who are already looking forward to next year!

Later, 3000 lycra-clad cyclists came by on the Randonnee for a pit stop to use the clubhouse as a marshalling post and feeding station. With a samba band adding to the colourful spectacle.

A great effort from everyone involved with will allow the club to donate to the Luke Orton and Team Teddy charities!

Junior Vectis Equestrian Member, Freya Jones and her lovely pony Bleu, recently travelled to the Riding Club competition held at Moreton EC.

Frey and Bleu placed 1^st in their class in the Area Combined Challenge!

Well done both!

A member of the IOW Panther Kickboxing team, Harvey Abbott has been selected to represent Team GB for the second year!

Harvey will be heading to Budapest in August to compete at the World Kickboxing Championships in the Full Contact division! The standard does not get higher than this!

Harvey is a great role model for the club showing hard work, respect, and discipline!

Good luck Harvey!

It was a busy weekend for Ventnor Cricket Club with three senior teams representing Ventnor on Saturday and on Sunday, competing in the second round of the Venous Village Cup, a national competition with the chance to play at Lords in the final!

Unfortunately, the game was cancelled but with three other senior teams representing Ventnor, there was more than enough to watch!

Ventnor won with the second XI playing a home game at Steephill against Ellingham by 9 wickets.

Ventnor’s third XI playing a home game in Arreton against an IOW team, Freshwater, won by 5 wickets.

And finally, playing an away game in Northwood against another Island team, Northwood, the fourth XI, Ventnor lost by 6 wickets.

On Sunday, Ventnor’s first XI won against Sarisbury by 9 wickets with some impressive performances, taking them to the third round of the Venous Village Cup!

Well done Ventnor, we can’t wait to see what you do next!

Exciting times for Ventnor Cricket Club as they welcome back Dineth Thimodya, an overseas player for the 2024 season.

“I’m really happy to be back. I’ve loved my time playing for Ventnor over the years and can’t wait for the season to start”

Unfortunately, the British weather put a halt to their recent 1^st Xi fixture, but we’re excited to see what they get up to now the weather is picking up!

On Good Friday, the East Cowes Vics Football Club played Newport IOW in a Wessex League 1 match.

East Cowes Vics won 1-0 with the goal scored by Jez Conway in the first half!

This was the first league victory against Newport in over 30 years! To top the win off, the game was played out in front of the league's biggest crowd of the season with 565 people filling out Beatrice Avenue, home of East Cowes Vics.

Five young girls from The Starlight Academy have been chosen to represent England in the very prestigious dance competition, the Global Dance Open Finals in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, this summer!

Aged just eight and nine years old, the five girls will travel to the competition this July to compete in Ballet, Jazz, Street and Acro sections.

Auriella, Aria, Imogen, Diwata and Lily will go up against dancers from all around the world, including Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada and South Africa after qualifying in a previous competition, in Sevenoaks, Kent.

Well done girls, this is an amazing achievement, we can’t wait to hear how you get on in July!

NAUT Cycling took part in their first road event of the race season!

Over 50 riders turned up for this event with NAUT members featuring in four teams. A damp and overcast morning for the first time trial event of the season: a 3-up effort along the Military Road, on the Pearl 10 course. Two team members, Eric Wiliams and James Heng had a particularly impressive ride, finishing 6th overall, being the highest placed team of junior riders! One team, featuring Chris Till, wasn’t so lucky, having pushed hard to post the 2nd fastest time, they lost a rider to a mechanical and was disqualified. Alex Paul, Martin Piper and Steve Taylor pulled together to take 7th Place! The trio, including Martin Jackson, took the 13th fastest tie of the event!

Well done, team! We look forward to hearing more!

Vectis Equestrian Club recently sent over three of their members, Paige Richards, Amelia Collins and Charlotte McCoullgh to compete at the British Riding Clubs Area Winter Dressage, held at Crofton Manor.

Paige Richards placed 2^nd in her senior section, with Charlotte placing 2^nd in the juniors! This was Amelia’s first time competing with Vectis, finishing in the top ten in her class!

Well done, girls!