Basford U18's Sunday 27th Jan 08

Basford v's. Kettering

Due to various water logged pitches the game between the Basford girls and Kettering took place at Welwyn RFC – so many thanks to all at Welwyn for providing great facilities.

The game was played with a full compliment of players thanks to some Saracens and London Irish girls who were eager to join in the fun.
The game kicked off in glorious sunshine and, as expected from previous meetings, the Kettering backs went on the attack, leading to Lizelle Heather scoring under the posts in the first 3 minutes. 5 – 0
This seemed to wake the Basford girls up and within 2 minutes of the restart, the Basford girls put together a good sweeping move that allowed Cherelle Alphonse to run in from 10m out 5 – 5
Almost from the restart, the Basford girls put together another great move , with good passing and excellent support play that allowed Emily Scott to finish with a great score 5 – 10
After that score both teams settled into their game and for about 15 mins all the play was centred between the two 22m lines, with neither team giving the other any opportunities to break away. This ended when Scott crossed the line only for the ball to be held up. From the resulting 5m scrum, Basford secured the ball and allowed Sarah ‘wing prop’ Carmen to dive over for the score 5 – 15.
The deadlock seemed to be broken with the Basford girls enjoying the better of the play, and then Cherelle Alphonse ran in from 20m out to score her second try 5 – 20 and time for the halftime whistle.
The second half carried on with the Basford girls on top, and a quick score from Scott, running in from 20m, added to the Basford tally 5 – 25
Kettering looked a battered side with numerous knocks and breaks for injuries, but Basford weren’t finished – the dominant forwards put together a great drive that allowed Charlie Micallif to score 5 – 30
Two more trys followed – Scott scoring her hat trick from a turned over scrum 5 – 35, and then after Sarah Carmen had another sweeping play to put in Scott for her fourth to make the final score 5 – 40.
This was another good team performance from the Basford girls, and credit must be given to the Kettering team who played some excellent rugby – much better than the final score-line suggests.


Final result: Kettering RFC 5 Basford 40

U15's at Welwyn Warriors

Welwyn Warriors played host today as both Basford and Saracens decended on their Hobbs lane ground.

On a day when the pitches had recovered really well from the recent downpours and with sun shining all 3 teams contributed to some excellent and entertaining rugby.

Both Saracens and Welwyn had welcome visitors included in their teams today, with Alex and Robyn from London Irish making the long journey across to Welwyn. Alex turning out for Saracens and Robyn for Welwyn meant that all 3 sides were able to field a full 13 out on the pitch.

The first game saw Welwyn take on Saracens, and what a game this turned out to be. From the whistle the game was played at a terrific pace with neither side giving an inch.
Saracens took the lead early on with a well worked try from Alice Finn, and continued to press to try and stretch their advantage, but the Welwyn defence stood up to everything being thrown at them and in turn continued to harass the Saracens defence and mid way through the 2nd half they were rewarded for their pressure with Sam Voyle going over to level the scores.
The game was being played at such a pace, with big tackles being put in by both teams all around the pitch.
The full time score of 5-5 was probably a just result, as neither team deserved to lose following that performance.

After a short break, Welwyn took to the field to play Basford. Again the game was played with a high tempo with the Basford forwards making and receiving some big hits. The backs were seeing plenty of ball throughout and made some lovely runs at the Welwyn line.
A couple of lovely breaks from the centres allowed Alex and Olivia to cross the line to score tries with Maddy Converting one of them.
Turning round at half time with a 12-0 lead, the Basford girls continued to press, but were caught on a couple of occasions with some lovely breaks from, Sam, Georgia and Courtney. Only some resolute defending stopped welwyn from bringing the scores level.
Yas had found her kicking boots today and she put a couple of long balls upfield to try and put Rachel under pressure, who responded by running the ball straight back through the Basford defence.
The Basford girls were slowly starting to play the ball across the park to try and stretch the Welwyn defence, and a nice break through the centre from Alex was halted just short of the line but she managed to off load to mouse who only had to fall over the line to make it 17-0.
Shortly after the forwards stole the ball in a maul and some quick play saw Abbie free out on the wing to run at the Welwyn line, having evaded a couple of tackles she managed to cross the line for 22-0.
Alex crossed for her 2nd try just before the final whistle to make the final score
27-0 to Basford.
As with the first game this was end to end rugby with both teams refusing to lay down.

The final game saw Basford take on Saracens. As with the previous games this was placed at a fast pace, with the boot of Claire putting the Basford defence on the back foot on a couple of occasions. Neither of the two packs were going to give an inch, and for long periods the game was centred around the middle of the park.When ever one side tried to free their backs to run at the other team,they were quickly shut down.
First blood was drawn by Basford when Abbie made a break down the left and managed to hold of the last ditch tackle from Alex to go over for 5-0, with Maddy converting to make it 7-0. The girls soon found themselves desperately defending their line as Saracens launched attack after attack at them. When the Girls were penalised for failing to roll away just outside their 5m line, they were punished when a quickly taken penalty from claire was spun wide to give Alice space to go over in the corner to make it 7-5.
Turning round for the second half, again both teams refused to give an inch, however Alice found a gap to step inside and go over the line for her 2nd try to give Saracens a 10-7 lead.
As the game wore on the Saracens defence didnt look like they were going to be beaten, and with it inflict only the 2nd defeat on the Basford girls this season.
However with only a couple of minutes remaining, Abbie again stepped outside and made a break down the wing and again despite some great tackles managed to stay on her feet and cross for her second try to give Basford a 12-10 lead.
With barely time to restart the girls were relieved to hear the referee blow up for full time. Another victory but one that had to be fought for and ground out the hard way.

Final Results:
Welwyn Warriors 5 Saracens 5
Basford 27 Welwyn Warriors 0
Saracens 10 Basford 12

Well done to each and every girl who played today and made it an enjoyable day for all those who watched from the sidelines.


Welwyn Warriors Courtney,Oren,Becky,Jade,Ellie,Abi,Olivia,Abbie,Rachel,
Sidney,Sam,Georgia and Robyn.


Saracens
Sarah,Hannah,Alice,Clare,Megan,Sydnie,Sophie,
Chloe,Charlotte,Natalie,Ellie,Michelle,Melissa and Alex

Basford Ellie,Amy,Alice,Megan,Francis,Lucie,Yasmin,Layla,Alex,Olivia,Jess,Abbie,Maddy,Emma

Thanks to all at Welwyn for your hospitality.
Thanks again to Alex and Robyn and Georgia for coming along to play with the girls.

I think everyone who watched these games today will agree that each and every girl did themselves and their clubs proud.
What a teffific advertisment for Girls rugby.!!!!!!

Basford invade the North!!!! March 08

Our friends in the Yorkshire RFUW have now confirmed the plans for our invasion of their tranquil holiday spots.

We shall be travelling up to Boggle Hole on friday 21st March
the provisional itinerary is as follows.

Friday

Coach pick up
Strawberry Fields 7.00am
The Haywain 7.30am
Thurrock Services 8.00am

allowing for refreshment breaks we should arrive at Boggle Hole around 2pm.

Friday afternoon will be at leisure (after the compulsory swim in the Sea)


Saturday
We will be travelling across the moors to Malton & Norton RFC for an all day tournament. The U15’s will play Goole, Bridlington, and Tyndale.
The U18’s will play Leos, Tyndale, and Ilkeley.
These may well be our toughest tour games yet!!

Following the games at Malton & Norton it will be compulsory fancy dress for everyone.

This year’s tour theme is Superheroes / TV Characters.

Sunday

We will most probably travel the short distance to Whitby which is a really nice Coastal town with nice beaches and shops etc.
The Yorkshire girls have expressed an interest in meeting with us on the sunday, and playing some kind of beach rugby /rounders etc.

Sunday evening is "Party Night" back at Boggle Hole.

Monday
Late morning at a guess, we will leave for home. Approximate arrival times will be given at a later date.



Compulsory items for every tourist this year are Dracula fangs and a bulb of garlic. These must be kept with you at all times or you will be fined.

Times of Court session, Judge and Jury to be advised.



The parents meeting will be Wednesday 27 February at 7 pm. One parent of each player must attend, when parental consent and tour code of conduct must be signed.

Regional Selections

Congratulations to all the Basford Girls who were selected for the regional squads following last weeks trials.

U18's

Cherelle
Sarah
Frenchy
Nat
Charlie
Sophie
Emily


U15's

Abbie
Alex
Jess H
Jess W
Frances
Madeleine
Ellie
Layla
Megan
Olivia
Lucie
Yasmin

Club Tour

The club tour to Boggle Hole has been confirmed and all outstanding monies are due by the end of January.

We travel to the East Coast on Good Friday hopefully arriving around lunchtime which will give everyone the chance to chill out on the afternoon.
On the Saturday we travel the short distance to Malton Rugby Club, where we will take part in a mini tournament at both age groups.
We have been told that we shall be joined by teams from Ilkley, Bridlington, Tyndale and Leo's.
On the Sunday we have looked at the possibility of travelling over to Scarborough and joining some of the Yorkshire girls for some beach rugby, rounders etc and spend the day generally fooling around.We then travel back home late morning on the monday.

The Tour theme has yet to be decided, although the U15's have a few ideas, so get thinking and let Tina and Paula know what you think, as it is not that long now before we go.

Post match drink off

Basford "Man of the Match" Amy Browne takes on Spalding "Man of the Match" Emily Haines in the customary Orange squash drink off.

Amy and Emily showing how its done!!!!!


Time Ladies Please!!!!

Basford v Spalding

Sunday 13th January 08.

The eagerly awaited game between the two U15 sides took place this afternoon in Spalding.The players from both clubs became friends last year following the closely fought game in the semi final of the Herts 7's. That weekend took its toll on both sides, and meant that due to injuries neither side would have sufficient players to put a squad together for the National 7's the following week. The situation was quickly resolved when 3 of the Spalding girls joined with our girls to put on a brilliant show of rugby, scoring many points on the way to the final against Cramberleigh.The efforts of all the girls that day saw them walk away with runners up medals and some great memories of some fantastic rugby.

Todays game started off as expected with both sets of backs seeing plenty of the ball, and first blood was drawn by Spalding when the Basford defense failed to put the usual wall in front of the opposing players and allowed them through to go 5-0 up within 5mins. The girls quickly rallied and it wasn't long before they had levelled the score with Lucie converting to give us a slender lead(5-7).
The game was being played at a fast pace throughout, and only some excellent defence from both teams stopped the scores running up. The Basford forwards were slowly starting to make headway, and a quick ball of the back of a maul allowed the girls to breakawy for their 2nd try(5-12). No sooner had Spalding kicked off when they put the Basford defence under pressure again and some subtle handling played to ball across the park for them to run in their 2nd try(10-12). The game was still very much in the balance with both sets of forwards putting in some big tackles in the centre of the field. It wasnt just the forwards who were putting it about, the backs were everywhere mopping up when ever one side tried to break through.Just before half time, the Basford girls broke through to add another 10 points to their score.Going in at half time the girls were (22-10)up, but knew that any lapses of concentration and they would soon be staring at a defeat. As the 2nd half wore on, the Basford girls began to exert a bit more pressure and began to find holes in the Spalding defence. The Basford girls ran in a further 6 tries in the 2nd half to record a 52-10 victory. Although the score line may look like the girls had it all their own way, nothing was further from the truth. The Spalding girls never stopped running and putting in some big hits.It should also be mentioned that this was only the 2nd game that the girls had played this season, and with a bit more rugby under their belts they will give any team a run for their money. There were some truly outstanding tackles going in today, and Amy Tinn, Emily H, Bronagh and Ellis to name a few,made our girls work for the whole game. The whole of the team were a credit to themselves and the coaching staff.

Back in the club house, the coaches picked their "man of the match" from the opposing teams. Basford man of the match went to Amy Browne who given that she has only played a handful of competetive games was outstanding going forward with the ball in hand. Spalding's man of the match was Emily Haines who continually ran out the basford defence and caused them all sorts of problems.

The after match drink off of a pint of orange squash between the 2 players was a close run affair and I would think a draw would be a just decision.

A big big thanks to all the payers, coaches and parents at Spalding for making us welcome today, and to the ladies who provided a lovely warm meal after the game.
We look forward to returning the welcome down at Rochford in a few weeks.

Basford: Megan,Lucie,Alex,Amy,Frances,Yasmin,Layla,Olivia, Abbie,Madeleine,Jessica and mouse.

Spalding: Amy T,Amy V,Ellis,Annabel,Tessa,Emily H,Jess,Emily P,Bronagh and Vanessa.

Tries: Alex 3,Abbie 3,Madeleine 2, Layla, Jess
Cons: Lucie 1.
Well done to all the girls for a fantastic display of rugby.

Sunday 6th Jan 08

Basford U18's v Aylesford Bulls

This was the Basford girls first trip to the Aylesford Bulls, (near Maidstone), after arranging the fixture during the Rochford festival, where the Aylesford girls gave a good account of themselves.

The game was played 10 vs 10 due to lack of numbers, so there was plenty of space on the pitch for both sides to take advantage of. Aylesford Bulls kicked off, and despite this being the first game back after the long Christmas break, the Basford girls went straight onto the attack and applied the pressure down in the Aylesford 20m zone. A knock-on gave Aylesford a scrum but an impressive Basford pack won the ball and Frenchie opened the scoring with a run from 10m out. 0 – 5
From the restart, the Basford girls set the pattern for the whole game, and kept applying constant pressure on Aylesford. The next score came from a line-out and drive for Sarah ‘wing prop’ Carmen to score. 0 – 10
Again, Basford took the game to Aylesford and only some very stout defensive play kept Basford from scoring more – the next Basford attack was ‘held up’ but from the resulting 5m scrum Sophie ran off the back of the scrum to ground the ball. 0 – 15
The game was being played mostly in the Aylesford half, with Basford constantly looking threatening. A line-out 15m out demonstrated a training ground move where the ball was passed short, and a great interchange between Sarah C and Nat led to Nat scoring the next try. 0 – 20
Just before half time Nat scored her second of the game following a great move from the halfway line, which showed some excellent passing and support play. Sophie converted to make the halftime score. 0 – 27

I don’t know what the Aylesford coaches said to their girls at halftime, but they came out of the blocks like a rocket, and within a minute had scored a great breakaway try, which was duly converted 7 – 27
This seemed to spur the Basford girls on to better things, and Frenchie went over for her second try following a scrum 10m out. 7 – 32
This was quickly followed by another score – again by Frenchie – following a great run by Sophie and some good support play. Sophie kicked the extras 7 – 39
The next score came from a passing move from 30m out, with good hands shown by a number of players that led to Kerry scoring her first try for the club – well done!! 7 – 44
Frenchie wasn’t finished for the day, and went over for her 4th try of the game (fantastic!!), again following an excellent passing move – Sophie kicked the conversion 7 – 51, and in the dying minutes, Fi showed she still had something left with a great 50m run to score her first and Basford’s 10th try of the game – brilliant! Sophie again kicked the extra points to make the final score 7 - 58

Many spectators said that this was one of the best displays of ‘team’ rugby that Basford have shown, with every member of the team being fully involved in the game – great forward plays, great running, great passing, and fantastic support for each other – well done!

Many thanks to everyone from Aylesford Bulls RFC for an excellent days rugby, and thanks especially to the Aylesford girls who played the game in great spirit – fantastic - and we hope to meet you again later in the season.

Final result: Aylesford Bulls RFC 7 Basford 58

Clark French Ace Reporter Essex Daily Blah Blah Blah

Sunday 6th Jan 08

Basford U15's v Aylesford Bulls

With Christmas a distant memory, the girls made the short trip across the Thames to play Aylesford Bulls.

Following on from the meeting between the two clubs at the Rochford Festival, and given that the majority of the girls out there today played in the Essex v Kent game in December, a close and hard fought game was on the cards.

Depleted by injury and holidays the Basford girls arrived subdued but confident.

From the whistle it became apparent that our forwards who have dominated games this season were not going to get it all their own way with some good tackling and surging runs being made by the Aylesford forwards in the early exchanges.

A good run from our backs freed Jessica to break for the line only to be tackled and brought down on the 5m line. Confidence was growing and as the first half wore on the backs combined to play some lovely ball across the field and touch down 3 times with Yas converting once.
Going in at half time 17-0 up, we were expecting a high scoring game, however Ayleford rallied straight from kick off and a surging run up field was briefly halted by our defence but some deft handling freed the ball from the maul and allowed Aylesford to go over in the corner.
From the resulting kick off, the Basford girls surged forward and again with the forwards in the thick off it, the ball was quickly fed out to the backs who combined to cross for the 4th try of the day.
From the kick off the ball was caught by Ellie who ran straight back towards the Aylesford try line, and some excellent defending held up play long enough for the girls to position themselves for another attack on the Aylesford line.
A quick ball from the ruck was spun out wide where Olivia was waiting and went over for try no 5.
Unfortunately just after this Frances who had been valiantly carrying on since injuring her knee way through the 1st half,twisted her knee again making a tackle and had to leave the field.
With the girls a player down, Aylesford really piled the pressure on, and were rewarded with a well worked try in the final minutes.
As the ref blew for full time both sets of players looked totally shattered having played at the same tempo throughout the game.

Full credit should go to Aylesford who despite falling behind early on never stopped running at our girls when they had the ball, and their defensive play was excellent.

It has been a good start to the new year with the girls carrying on that winning streak.

Tries: Jessica W, Yasmin P,Olivia S,Lucie W, Abbie C.
Cons: Yasmin P (1)

Well done to all the girls,not the easiest of games for the first game back after the break, but you all did yourselves and the club proud.

Next week another tough game beckons when we travel to the depths of Linconshire to play Spalding who took the girls to the wire in the Worthing festival last season.