A Camborne woman is set to become the first female to lead a crew during the annual field gun race contested by Royal Navy and Royal Marine teams.

Warrant Officer Natasha Pulley, the number one trainer for HMS Raleigh’s field gun crew, has been training her 20 strong crew hard ahead of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Field Gun Competition this Saturday at HMS Collingwood, in Portsmouth, where they will compete against 25 teams from across the Armed Forces for the much coveted Brickwoods Trophy.

The 45-year-old, who has run the event on seven occasions, said: “The annual field gun competition is one of the highlights of the Royal Naval sporting calendar.

"It’s a fast and furious competition which takes courage, commitment and discipline. Our crew is made up of personnel of all ranks and rates with representatives from all departments within HMS Raleigh.

"We are a mix of experienced field gunners and first timers. For me personally, this is the next stage of a journey that started 25 years ago when I first ran as a young 19-year-old.

"The crew has faced numerous challenges with injuries and short notice postings of some of the team, but it is a credit to them that they have preserved and still have a fighting spirit. I know when I walk out with these lads on Saturday I will feel sick with nerves, but I also know how good they can be and will be proud to be part of that.”

Natasha, the head of HMS Raleigh ’s PT department., is a former pupil of Pool school, who joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in 1987 as a radar operator. She passed her PT aptitude test two years later and completed her PT qualifying course at HMS Temeraire in 1990.