RAF women hold off late Army charge to win fifth Inter Services title in a row

The Royal Air Force women's team have continued their winning streak at the Inter Services after claiming their fifth consecutive title after a 4-3 victory over the British Army.

The ladies in light blue looked on form in the first half and were able to grow a huge cushion over the Army, but a late Army resurgence almost put a stop to the RAF's quest to win their fifth straight title.

The RAF entered this winner-takes-all Inter Services finale looking for their fifth-consecutive title which they've successfully held onto since 2019 (2020 and 2021 were not played due to Covid-19).

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The Army were riding high after they defeated the Royal Navy 2-0 at Bracknell Town, and in the event of a draw against the RAF, they would win the Inter Services title on points difference alone.

The team in red did look threatening in the opening minutes, but they were not able to put their early chances away.

The first critical moment came when the Army's Tara Parker downed Eden Marsh inside the penalty area, and the referee awarded the RAF an early penalty.

Experienced skipper Cat Beaver stepped up to the penalty mark and took her penalty kick with ease and precision to give the light blues an early 1-0 lead.

The Army's luck didn’t improve from there, as goalkeeper Nicole Gair took a costly tumble inside the penalty area, which opened the door for Jeorgia Carr to muscle the ball away.

Carr then created the opportunity for teammate Lucy Farrow to strike the ball into an open goal and the team in light blue extended their lead to 2-0.

The Army's woes continued in the beginning of the second half, as a kick from Army keeper Nicole Gair deflecting off the foot of Jeorgia Carr, which by a stroke of luck, rolled into the net to extend the RAF’s lead to 3-0.

But the Army were quick to respond, and with their backs against the wall, Ashley Mills produced a stunning goal by a 40 yard distance to finally get the reds onto the scoresheet.

The RAF weren't deterred by that sudden Army resurgence however, as Cat Beaver struck in her second goal of the match to once again put some distance between them and the Army at 4-1.

However, cracks began to show in the RAF as a costly error inside the penalty area, which saw Army skipper Anna Birtwhistle pushed down to the ground, handed the Army a penalty and a chance to close the gap in the latter stages of the match.

Birtwhistle took the penalty for her team and her strike almost went unchallenged by RAF keeper Jamie-Lee Bamford, bumping the Army up to 4-2.

With the minutes counting down to full time, the Army's confidence began to grow and their hopes of winning the title were reignited when substitute Krissy Wright slotted in the Army's third goal of the game.

But it was a goal that would come too late for the ladies in red.

At the full-time whistle a sense of relief was painted on the faces of the RAF players after doing just enough to hold off the late Army resurgence.

The RAF women win their fifth consecutive title in a row and the ladies in light blue continue their dominance at the Inter Services Championships.