Girls Survive Baptism of Fire - With Honour
December 4th, 2006
On Sunday 3rd December Eastern Counties’ first ever U17 & U14 teams travelled to Westclife in Essex to do battle with a wide range of other counties in their first ever tournament.
Essex RFUW had worked hard to lay on an exciting festival. Despite extensive preparations, arrangements did not quite work to plan. Nevertheless, 6 counties were able to compete in both age groups. Both our teams started their days facing very experienced and well polished oppositions, whose experience won them the points they needed.
Excellent lineout maul against Hertfordshire - Stacey Hargrave feeding to Jess Ryan, Sasha Acheson ready to make a blindside break, Olivia Beaumont waiting for her chance to get free having made the catch
But the girls never buckled. At every break, they listened to their coaches, applied the learning points, and by the end of the afternoon, were playing free running rugby - as teams - who won their final fixtures, and would willingly have taken on their opponents of the first matches in order to redress the balance.
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U17s - with mascot
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For the record, we were placed 5th out of 6 in both age groups, but most importantly, the girls have made their mark. They ended the day with grins, and our friends from Essex and Hertfordshire know that next year they face serious competition for the Inter-County Shield which Essex have generously presented in perpetuity.
Congratulations to both squads, and manty thanks to the coaches, who have brought the girls a long way in a short time.
We did not get to play Essex, who have invited us to Basildon on 17th December to play against them and against the Kent 1st Teams.
No photos of the U14s this time, but here are some of the U17s. Most of these girls had never played a game of 15-a-side before, but gave both Hertfordshire and Yorkshire, playing their fifth fixture of the autumn, a run for their money.
Lizell Heather putting Yorkshire under pressure
