Young footballers from the Plymouth Argyle Academy were put through their paces by the Royal Navy.

A group of around 20 under 18s from the club took part in a military experience afternoon under the watchful eyes of two physical training instructors from HMS Raleigh in Torpoint.

The training took place at Bigbury beach, where the players experienced training similar to that undertaken by Naval recruits during their 10-week initial training course at HMS Raleigh.

Highlights included the ‘stretcher run’, while wading through the sea, casualty evacuations drills, which included recovering two casualties over a three-kilometre distance.

The players also experienced training known at Battle PT, which consisted of more casualty evacuations, leopard crawls and sit-ups in the sea.

Leading Physical Training Instructor Kyle MacDonald said: “The afternoon concluded with briefs on emotional intelligence and critical thinking to engage a greater teamwork output both on and off the pitch.

“The Argyle lads performed to an extremely high standard throughout each serial, attacking them with confidence and a great mindset both as a team and as individuals. It was a fantastic opportunity for us all, and they definitely seemed to enjoy the afternoon’s events, as did we.”

Argyle Academy Manager Phil Stokes said: “We were delighted and grateful to the PTIs from HMS Raleigh for coming to put the lads through their paces – it was a tremendous experience. It sometimes gets forgotten that part of the scholars’ development is to gain experience and lessons from other walks of life, and this certainly offered a small insight into the rigorous preparations that are required of our servicemen and women. As a club representing a proud military city, it was fantastic.”