GUN RUNNING is a dangerous business, especially when the weapons involved weigh nearly two tonnes each.

Just ask the super-fit crew of 22 men from the Royal Navy’s shore base at HMS Caledonia in Rosyth.

They are due to head to Portsmouth next week to take part in the annual Brickwoods Field Gun Competition.

The contest has been described as the ultimate test of strength, endurance and teamwork. It involves 18-man gun crews racing against each other, and the clock, over an 85-yard course.

What makes it so tough is that the crews have to dismantle and re-assemble the gun carriage during the race.

They also have to cover the 85 yards more than once.

Many will remember Brickwoods, as it is known in the senior service, as one of the highlights of the Royal Tournament at Earl’s Court in London.

The tournament came to an end in 1999 when the lease ran out on Earl’s Court, but was resurrected and is contested as fiercely as ever.

This year 18 teams, including 16 from the Navy, one from the Army and one from the Royal Air Force, are due to take part.

With just over a week to go, the team from HMS Caledonia have been hard at work perfecting their technique.

Yesterday they showed the public just what the event is all about with a couple of practice runs at their base.

Right on cue and with the cameras snapping, the team pulled out all the stops to record their fastest time yet.

They have a lot to live up to, and still have some way to go if they want to make the final six.

Last year HMS Caledonia came third overall, which was no mean feat according to their coach, Petty Officer Paddy Esler, who knows how hard the competition is.

Paddy was part of the Devonport team which swept the boards at Earl’s Court in 1998.

“It’s extremely tough,” he told The Courier last night.

“The blood and sweat that goes into running with a two-tonne canon in the field run is immense.

“Teamwork and extreme fitness are a must.”

The team has been drawn from staff at the shore base and the crews of HMS Northumberland, HMS Kent and HMS Edinburgh, currently being refitted at Rosyth Dockyard.

They have undergone four weeks of fitness training and a further four weeks of practising with the gun carriage.

Paddy said, “The training this year has been hard, because a lot of the personnel off the ships have found it difficult to put in the time.

“I’m looking for a place in the final. If they can make that I’ll be pleased.”

Brickwoods takes place at HMS Collingwood over the course of next weekend.

The contest dates back to the Boer War, when teams of men from HMS Terrible and HMS Powerful hauled guns across land to relieve Ladysmith.