|
|
For directions to our club
go to History
Welcome to the new season in Premier Division Two
Supermarine 13 v 7 Blaydon
Sunday 9th November 2003
No sooner had the game
started than it stopped when a Supermarine player got caught at the bottom of a
ruck and sustained a broken leg, it took some time for the player to be made
comfortable and then removed from the pitch.
They player was confined very much to the middle of the pitch with both teams
probing for a weakness. But before Blaydon could get any real momentum going
they lost Ros Stainer-Smith with a twisted knee. This necessitated Rachel Fidler
moving from back row to inside centre.
Our recent good form was being severely tested by the Supermarine forwards who
rucked and mauled very well so any possession we got was untidy and scrappy,
this in turn led to handling errors and hesitancy. In the scrums we had
reasonable control with the Blaydon pack able to push Supermarine backwards;
their response was to wheel the scrum when ever we put the ball in.
Supermarine’s first try came from sustained pressure in the Blaydon 22, they
recycled the ball well and ran it left for their winger to just scrape in at the
corner, despite the cover tackles, and they missed the conversion. Blaydon were
unable to put together many phases of play, this was in part to the good play of
the home team’s back row who hassled and harried Blaydon at every breakdown.
Blaydon did get several opportunities to get back into the match and got close
to the goal line on a couple of occasions but the ball was either stolen or we
gave a penalty away. It was during one of these attacks that Blaydon lost
Victoria Rivett; she received a serious eye injury which necessitated a visit to
the local hospital, before the trip home. Luckily it seems there is no lasting
damage. Before half time Supermarine were able to kick a penalty to extend their
lead.
The second half Blaydon played better the forwards provided much cleaner ball
and the runners started to make decent breaks, but we were unable to quite
finish off any of the chances we got. It was Supermarine who scored next in a
scrappy attack the winger got through a couple of tackles and got close to the
line, the full back was supporting and wriggled over the line to score.
Despite the fact that Kathryn Henderson‘s sin binning for a retaliatory punch
Blaydon took the attack back to the home side with some excellent rucking
enabling them to put real pressure on the home side the ball was worked left to
right wing Lyndsey Rodmell to get the ball and easily run around the cover to
score by the posts, Karen Snell kicked a very good conversion.
In a rousing finish Blaydon were unable to get close to the line and exert any
pressure, and it would have been easier if the Supermarine prop had been sin
binned fro stamping on Helen Greenwell, instead of just a penalty. But the home
side defended really well and kept the visitors out.
I'm very proud of what the
girls achieved on Sunday, travelling 6.5 hours for a game of rugby in the wet
and cold and to get so close to winning shows what a good team we are becoming.
I am looking forward to the return game at Crow Trees.
Team: K Snell, L Rodmell, C Arden, R Stainer-Smith, K Henderson, C
Iley-Christie, R Scott, V Rivett, R Hayes, S Fitzpatrick, H Greenwell, C Davies,
E Walker, R Fidler, N Badcock Subs: A Taylor, E Peterson
Blaydon 34 v 15
Blackheath
Sunday 2nd November 2003
Blackheath made the long journey north
with only 14 players, but they played with such determination that the game was
still in the balance as it entered the last quarter. Blaydon again started
slowly allowing the opposition to get good field position and plenty of ball.
They scored first when they won good ball and ran left and outflanked the cover
for the fly half to score.
When Blaydon kept the ball for several phases they looked dangerous and the
forwards and backs linked well and this combination worked well and got us our
first try. Sustained pressure on the Blackheath line from the Blaydon forwards
led to Victoria Rivett getting her first try, helped by the other forwards she
was driven to the line and her strength meant she was able to wrestle the ball
onto the line for the try. This should have got Blaydon going but ball retention
was not as good as in other games this season which allowed Blackheath to
counter attack and put us under pressure. This led to penalties being given
away, and on one such occasion the scrum half took a quick tap and ran through
to score by the posts, the conversion was missed. Again Blaydon came straight
back at the visitors combining well to get into the Blackheath 22, this enabled
us to get a second try. it came from a forward drive and as the forwards were
heading for the line Victoria Rivett rolled off the maul and crashed over the
line.
Having got back into the game Blaydon should have gone on to dominate the game,
but tigerish defence and good support play by Blackheath meant Blaydon were
unable to dominate possession or field position, and it was Blackheath who took
the lead again before half time, their second row crashing over the line by the
posts. The half time score was deservedly 15 -10 to Blackheath.
Blaydon started the second half much better, having understood the need to
control the ball when we had it, the support play from the forwards in rucks and
mauls was vastly improved this led to the backs having more space and time, and
gaps started to appear in the visitors defences. Once such hole was exploited to
the maximum Natalie Badcock ran through and was able to get the ball to
Catherine Arden who was able to spin over the line for the try, Catherine
Hitchen kicked the simple conversion. This seemed to convince Blaydon they could
go on and win the game and as they grew in confidence the rugby got better, the
forwards started to get the upper hand as the Blackheath defence started to
tire, strong runs and good recycling led to another try this time full back
Karen Snell coming into the line to score by the posts after good handling in
the backs. Sara Baxter kicked a good conversion
At this point most of the play was in the Blackheath half but their effort in
defence meant the Blaydon had to work hard for all of the tries. Lyndsey Rodmell
scored the next try, she had not seen much of the ball to use her pace but was
given the ball 15 metres out and ran through the defence to score.
Blaydon’s last try was an example of good support play Blackheath had the ball
secured on their own line and in her attempt to kick the ball to touch the fly
half’s kick was charged down and Sally Fitzpatrick was on hand to fall on the
ball to score, her first try for some time. Blackheath still had the goal of
another score to secure a bonus point and threw everything at Blaydon, but good
defence kept them out and they ran out 34-15 winners.
The score line may be a little harsh on the efforts of Blackheath but over the
whole 80 mins Blaydon just about deserved the win.
Team: K Snell, L Rodmell, C Arden, R Stainer-Smith, G Smith, S Baxter, R Scott,
V Rivett, R Hayes, K Storey, C Hitchen, E Jones, C Davies, R Fidler, N Badcock
Subs: S Fitzpatrick, C Richardson, A Taylor, H Greenwell.
Richmond II 7 v
22 Blaydon
Sunday 19th October 2003
This was an outstanding win on the road,
Blaydon had travelled in hope of playing well and sneaking a win, but to win by
15 points was an excellent result. It was windy dry day in South London and thre
pitch was a bit of a dust bowl. Blaydon started slowly and despite winning some
good ball a turnover lead to the first try. After a scrum Richmond changed the
direction and the winger slipped through a couple of tackles to score under the
posts, the conversion was successful too.
This seemed not to faze us too much and the forwards started to put real
pressure on Richmond, the pick and drive working particularly well. It was a
scrum that gave us our first try, a solid drive saw Richmond shoved back over
their own line for Ruth Scott to touch down. Thew forwards had a real grip on
the game and some storming runs by Victoria Rivett, Katy Storey and Ruth McKeown
kept Richmond in their own 22 for long periods, this pressure led to the second
try, a forward drive led to Helen Greenwell getting the touch down (Victoria
Rivett reckons she had hands on the ball too though).
Half time arrived with Blaydon leading 10 – 7 and while the score line was close
we felt we had control of the game and that if we played well into the wind we
would win. In the second half we did play well with forwards and backs handling
the ball well in tight contact situations. The backs were really coming into the
game as the forwards provided good ball with which to attack. A break by Ros
Stainer-Smith made a incisive break to get close to the line and after Richmond
conceded a penalty which Blaydon ran they were awarded a scrum which was again
driven over the line for Ruth Scott to pounce for her second try.
The game finished with Richmond trying to run out of defence trying to get back
into the game and Blaydon’ s defence holding them in their own half, only once
in the half did Richmond get into tour 22 metre area. After Blaydon held out
they went back up the other end and scored the last try of the game. Again the
forwards provided the good ball for the backs, when it got to Ros Stainer-Smith
cutting back to the blind side only to find there was no defence and scored
almost without a hand being laid on her, Catherine Hitchen kicked a good
conversion to complete an extremely good win.
Team: K Snell, L Rodmell, C Arden, R Stainer-Smith, G Smith, S Newton, R Scott,
V Rivett, K Henderson, K Storey, H Greenwell, E Jones, E Walker, N Badcock, R
McKeown. Subs: S Fitzpatrick, C Iley-Christie, C Hitchen, S Lazenby, R Hayes
Blaydon 20 v 12
Notts Casuals
Sunday 4th October 2003
On another bright sunny day Blaydon
welcomed Notts Casuals to Crow Trees for the first time in 4 seasons. We were
expecting a hard game and that’s what we got. The game started at a great pace
with Casuals putting us under pressure from the kick off and they were camped in
our 22 for the first 10 mins and they got the first try when after sustained
pressure they ran the ball right and the winger squeezed over in the corner.
This seemed to wake us up and the forwards started to take a grip on the game. A
strong scrummage let Natalie Badcock run from No 8 and a combination of her
Rachel Fidler and Lyndsey Rodmell created a scoring chance for Ruth McKeown but
in the tackle going for the line the ball was lost forward. But the play had
given us good field position and we were able to exert our first spell of real
pressure, which led to the first Blaydon try. We got a five metre scrum; the
home forwards just pushed Casuals back over their line giving Natalie Badcock
her first try. Catherine Hitchen narrowly missed the conversion, 5-5.
Notts then came back at the home side creating real pressure on the home line, a
hurried clearance kick led to their second try when the full back caught the
kick and ran thre ball back at us, she linked with the forwards eventually
sending the second row over for the try, the conversion was made 12 – 5. This
was during a spell of pressure when Notts style of play was causing Blaydon some
problems with the offloads not giving us time to get organised, but we were able
to keep. Half time arrived with Blaydon down on the scoreboard but still well in
the game. It would be vital that Blaydon got the first score in the second half.
Having had the team talk at half time Blaydon knew what would be needed to win
and to the player’s credit they stuck to the plan and played really well. After
sustained pressure in the Casuals 22 Blaydon got a penalty which Catherine
Hitchen kicked to close the gap. The Blaydon forwards started to gain real
control and our tap and go policy at penalties work really well, catching
Casuals unaware. The Blaydon backs also came into their own having a much more
dominant platform to work from they were able to get the ball to the full back
and wings which on occasions stretched the defence. One such play led to
Blaydon’s second try, the forwards made the inroads into the Notts 22 and quick
recycled ball meant the momentum wasn’t lost and the ball went down the wing to
Karen Snell who crashed over in the right hand corner.
The momentum was with us now and straight from the restart we were on the attack
a great break by Rachel Fidler almost leads to another try but a forward pass
saved Notts. Our final score came as a result of the power of the forwards and
that we rarely let Notts out of their own half. We had a series of rucks just
short of the line and eventually Natalie Badcock picked up the ball and dived
over just to the right of the posts, Catherine Hitchen added the conversion
points to put us two scores clear. Notts came back at us hard in the final 5
mins desperately trying to get a try to get them back into the game, but the
Blaydon defence held firm and we ran out winners 20 – 12.
Team: K Snell, Lyndsey Rodmell, C Arden, R Stainer-Smith, S Baxter, S Newton, R
Scott, V Rivett, K Henderson, K Storey, C Davies, C Hitchen, R McKeown, R
Fidler, N Badcock. Subs: G Smith, C Richardson, E Walker, R Hayes.
Wasps II 27 V 5
Blaydon
Sunday 21st September 2003
It was another seriously hot day for our trip to London, on getting there we was
a pitch that was very dry indeed, dare one say a dessert. We had to make some
changes from the team that beat Rosslyn Park, but the players coming in didn’t
weaken the side at all.
We started well pressuring our more experienced opposition and forcing some
errors, but in a scene theta would be played out many times during the game we
would get into good positions and they would steal the ball off us, very
frustrating. Our forwards really set about the Wasps scrum and drove them back
at almost every scrum, but the wasps scrum half and No 8 just about managed to
clear up the untidy ball. It was when the ball got out to the backs that
problems were caused for us. The wasp’s backs had very good running lines and
caused problem all game. The wasps left winger being particularly dangerous. Our
defence worked very hard as we had to, we did a lot of defending to do and
mostly it was done well. the first time wasps got into out 22 they got a penalty
which was kicked to give the and early score.
The first try came from their forwards driving into our defence and recycling
and attacking left, a the quick ruck enabled the ball to get to the left winger
who beat the cover defence to score under the posts, the conversion was
successful.
The pattern of the game followed a similar pattern, with Blaydon attacking and
the ball being turned over and Wasps counterattacking. Their centres made a
couple of good breaks but the Blaydon defence managed to scragg the ball carrier
and stop the score. Eventually the pressure told and again it was their forwards
that set up the platform and a quick attack on the blind side put in the winger
for her second try.
So half time arrived and we 15-0 down, and despite this I felt we could get back
into the game all we had to do was to look after the ball slightly better and
attack using the forwards more.
In order to get back into the game we needed to score quickly in the second
half, and despite getting into good field position we could not sustain the
pressure and when wasps got into our 22 they made it count. We conceded a 5
metre scrum and a well worked back row move put their No 8 in for the try,
clever play ensured our back row couldn’t get off the scrum to defend the space.
Their last try came from good handling and excellent lines of running from the
Wasps backs, good ball was won on the right and swift handling put the full back
into space and she was quick enough to get to the corner for the score.
We got the last try of the match and it was a deserved try for the effort put in
especially by the pack. We turned over Wasps ball in our 22 and Katy Storey ran
right and got the ball away to Natalie Badcock who in turn passed to Karen Snell
who, seeing the space close down kicked ahead, Gemma Smith followed up and in
the ensuing ruck we won good ball to run left and Suzi Newton took the ball on
before putting Catherine Arden for the try.
Despite losing we felt we had competed well and realise we had just played a
good side, most with first team experience and they have played at this higher
level a lot longer than. It was a good learning experience for the players and
show the level of competition we will have to reach if we are to really
challenge the top teams. Knowing the squad as I do I know we will learn and get
better, we are a good team getting better.
Team: K Snell, G Smith, C Arden, R Stainer-Smith, K Henderson, S Newton, R Scott, S Fitzpatrick, R Hayes, K Storey, H Greenwell, C Hitchen, R McKeown, R Fidler, Natalie Badcock (Capt) Subs: A Taylor, C Davies, J Thirkle, H Thew
Blaydon 37 v 3 Rosslyn Park
Sunday 14th September 2003
We opened our Premier Div Two season on a very hot and sunny day at Crow Trees with a 37-3 win over Rosslyn Park. We scored seven tries and along the way played some very good rugby.
The most pleasing thing for
me as coach was our defence, we worked very hard when we didn’t have the ball
and stopped them from scoring, limiting them two penalty attempts one of which
was successful.
We started strongly from the kick off and put pressure straight onto Park with
our forwards leading the way with some storming runs. The first try came after
one such run by Katy Storey and then carried on by Natalie Badcock and with
quick ball from the ruck it was give to Lyndsey Rodmell to race over from 10
yards for her first try. Our ability to keep the ball alive has improved greatly
and it enabled us to get in behind Park, on one of these occasions after another
charge by the forwards the ball was given to Lyndsey Rodmell who easily out
paced the defence to score her second. It was Lindsey’s pace which set up the
third try, after a long kick form fly half Suzi Newton Lyndsey tackled the full
back and ass the ball ran free Natalie Badcock scooped it up, and despite two
tacklers she got to the line to score. This sparked Park into their best period
of the game and they came right back at us pinning us into our own 22 for long
periods. But out defensive line held them out and despite camping in our 22 for
most of the remainder of the half they could only get 3 points from a penalty
from their fly half.
Blaydon got the best start to the second half scoring almost immediately from
thre restart, by now the forwards were starting to enjoy their free running
opportunities and we took advantage of one of theses when we got the ball to
Rodmell she made ground before being tackled the support kept the ball moving
and Rodmell got up and on receiving the ball again completed her hat-trick
scoring on the right.
We were staring to create more opportunities, two of these fell to Gemma Smith
twice she sprinted towards the line only to be tackled just short. Blaydon were
camped in the Park half now and only some good clearance kicks gave them
breathing space.
Form a Park lineout we managed to steal the ball, and despite it being untidy
Badcock retrieved the ball and made inroads into the defence before slipping the
ball to Suzi Newton who managed to get over the line for the try
Our sixth try came from skipper Natalie Badcock, after several phases and good
handling got thre ball to Badcock with only metres to go, and she took the
opportunity with both hands to crash over in the left hand corner.
Rodmell got her fourth tray after great team work and good handling gave her
some space to work in, which she used her pace to beat the cover to score,
Catherine Hitchen kicked the conversion.
The game finished with Blaydon still on the front foot and looking for more
tries. The score may look a bit one-sided but Park never gave in a defended for
all they were worth and none of the tries came easily. This was a great start to
the league season but there will be stiffer challenges ahead in the next couple
of weeks, especially the away games.
Team: K Snell, L Rodmell, C Arden, R Stainer-Smith, G Smith, S Newton, R Scott, V Rivett, K Henderson, K Storey, H Greenwell, C Davies, E Walker, R Fiddler, N Badcock (Capt) Subs: S Fitzpatrick, C Richardson, E Jones, C Hitchen.
Premier Division
2 Play-offs
at Broadstreet RFC
Sunday 4th April 2003
Blaydon Women’s Rugby Club again set off
for Broadstreet rugby club the scene of their Shield Final win the week before
in good spirits and confident of achieving promotion to Premiere Div 2. In order
to do this they had to play three games, 15 minutes a half against the other
Challenge Div one winners Supermarine (Swindon), Chesham (Buckinghamshire) and
Rosslyn Park (South London).
Blaydon 21 – 0 Chesham
Blaydon made a good start against Chesham in the first game, with the forwards
dominating the early exchanges it gave us a good platform to attack from. Our
first try came from a scrum when one of our sneaky back row moves put Lesley
Wheatley into space and she powered past the cover defence to score close to the
posts, Katherine Hitchen kicking the conversion. After a series of drives by the
forwards and good handling by the backs we got to the five metre line where
Victoria Rivett got hold of the ball and barged her way over to score, and again
Katherine Hitchen kicked the conversion. In the second half the game tightened
up and a lot of the play took place on the middle of the field, but a great
break by Shona Brown through the Chesham line gave her a clear 50 metre run to
the line and she was only caught over the line but managed to score landing on
the ball and winding herself for the second time in the game, Katherine Hitchen
added the conversion
Blaydon 0 – 0 Rosslyn Park
This was a repeat of the Shield Final from the week before, and it was just as
hard fought. Both teams were desperate to win and it became a battle between the
Blaydon forwards who dominated the scrums and Park who were trying to run the
ball around our solid defence, which they couldn’t. Blaydon did “score” in the
second half, the ref gave the try and then changed his mind, much to Katy
Story’s disbelief, Katy had been picked up from the England training session at
Lilleshall in preparation for the Development tour to South Africa. Blaydon did
have several scoring opportunities but a combination of Park slowing the ball
down and good defence kept the score to 0-0.
Blaydon 17 – 17 Supermarine
Before this game Blaydon found out that they had achieved promotion and so we
lost a little of the focus of earlier games and we started to play as
individuals, even so we started well against a well organised Supermarine.
Blaydon scored first when Natalie Badcock ran through several weak tackles to
score by the posts, Katherine Hitchen kicked the conversion. Supermarine replied
quickly after several penalties pushed us back and a forward barged over to
score the conversion was kicked. They took the lead late on in the first half
when their outside centre got round the outside of Blaydon’s defence to score in
the corner. This got Blaydon going again and we scored just on half time after a
fine run from Ruth Scott from the based of a maul she was caught just short of
the line but was able to pop the ball To Natalie Badcock to simply put the ball
down, the conversion was missed. The second half was a hard fought affaire with
the forwards going at it hammer and tongs to try and gain some control, this
meant eh backs had very little room to work in which resulted in a lot of
kicking. One such kick lead to Blaydon’s third try when fly half Suzi Newton
chipped through their defence and re-gathered the ball but was tackled on the
line and yet again Natalie was there to take the pop and score under the posts,
Katherine Hitchen kicked the conversion again. This set up a tens final five
minutes and despite defending for all they were worth Supermarine managed to
squeeze a forward over the line and kicked the conversion to level the game
Squad: Caroline Davies, Catherine Arden, Elaine Limond, Elisabeth Jones, Gemma
Robson, Gemma Shevels, Jolene Thirkle, Katherine Hitchen, Kathryn Henderson,
Katy Storey, Lesley Wheatley, Natalie Badcock, Rachel Hayes, Ros Stainer-Smith,
Ruth Scott, Sally Fitzpatrick, Shona Brown, Suzi Newton, Victoria Rivett.
Finally a word from the coach. Congratulations to all and every player that has played for Blaydon WRFC this season, and for making it our most successful ever. I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching you all and look forward to the challenges next season will undoubtedly bring. We are not going up just to make up the numbers we are looking to keep the development of the club going, so while we will be racking up the miles next season we aim to have some fun along the way. Many thanks to all at Blaydon RFC for the backing and help this season with out your support from touchline to bar we would not have achieved what we have.
Sunday 27th
April 2003
National Shield Final
Blaydon 12 – 0 Rosslyn Park
Played at Broadstreet RFC
A terrific win for Blaydon, in our first
National final, we dominated the game long periods. The game was fiercely
contested but played in a fine spirit by both teams, we ran out 12-0 winners.
The game was always going to be a hard fought affaire as both teams had won
their respective leagues and were keen to get their hands on the trophy. Blaydon
started well playing with the wind at their backs they ran hard at the Park
defence, who in turn defended for all they were worth. Strong runs were made by
all the forwards but a combination of good defence and poor ball control let
several promising attacks go to waste. It took nearly 20 minutes for Blaydon to
cross the Park line, a surge by Natalie Badcock down the left hand flank was
carried on by Mel Christie who beat three defenders to get to the line, with
Catherine Hitchen kicking a great conversion Blaydon lead 7-0. Rosslyn Park were
stirred into life by our try and came back at us right from the kick off, and
several dangerous attacks put us under pressure, but our defence which has been
very good in the last three games held out and stopped them from scoring. So we
arrived at half time with a 7-0 lead.
At half time we stressed the need not to give Rosslyn Park easy ball or field
position by giving penalties away and mostly we did that and kept Rosslyn Park
in the middle third of the pitch for long periods. As the game went on the
Blaydon pack got the upper hand in the scrum which not only disrupted Park ball
but gave us a good platform to attack from, and with Natalie Badcock making her
usual strong runs, backed up by Victoria Rivett and Catherine Hitchen not far
behind Park were kept on the back foot for most of the half. The decisive score
came with 15 minutes to go Blaydon had several attacks close to the Park line,
with several scrums going close before the ball was worked left for Shona Brown
to score, the conversion was missed. That gave us breathing space, but from the
kick off deep we were a bit indecisive and were tackled right on our own line
and conceded a scrum 5, but a strong scrummage and good defence won the ball
back and having worked our way back up field we were able to finish the game in
the Park 22, and ran out winners 12-0.
Team: Melanie Christie, Shona Brown, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith, Gemma
Shevels, Suzi Newton, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Caroline Davies, Katherine Hitchen, Kathryn Henderson, Lesley
Wheatley, Natalie Badcock (Capt). Subs: Louise Clarkson, Gemma Robson, Elaine
Limond
Sunday 4th Blaydon travel to Broadstreet RFC again to take part in
the promotion play offs in a bid to gain promotion to Premier Division 2, they
will be playing in a round robin tournament against Rosslyn Park (again),
Supermarine and Chesham.
Sunday 13th
April 2003
Blaydon 17 – 5 Vale of Lune
National Shield Semi-Final
This was our second shield semi final
and we managed to go one step further and gain a vital win and get to the final,
which takes place on 27th April 2003, where we will play Rosslyn
Park, venue to be arranged.
The game was always going to be a hard one; both our league games were very
close and keenly contested. Both sets of forwards gave nothing in defence and
space was at a premium for the backs. Blaydon tried to get the ball to the backs
and attack out wide while the Vale tried to drive through the middle, and use
the kick and chase. Blaydon’s forwards worked very hard throughout the game and
gave us a stable platform to attack from. With Blaydon’s back row carrying the
ball strongly into the Vale defence it gave us good attacking positions, but the
Vale defended very well and kept us out for a long time.
We camped in the Vale 22 for some time before we were able to open the scoring,
after great forward work we got a penalty 25 metres out, Katherine Hitchen
stepped up and kicked the ball straight between the posts for a deserved 3 – 0
lead.
Our first try came from a series of drives by the forwards before fly half Sara
Baxter got the ball and ran through a couple of tackles and ran the ball in
under the posts from 30 metres out, with Katherine Hitchen kicking the
conversion to put us 8 – 0 up.
The first half finished pretty much in the same theme with the vale only getting
into our 22 a couple of time and then our defence was able to snuff out any
danger very quickly.
The second half was a much closer affaire with Vale having the wind they were
able to kick for position, this was dealt with well by Melanie Christie at full
back who ran the ball back well. The game was in the balance for long periods
until Rachel Hayes broke off from a maul on half way and with no one in front
of her set off for the line, she was eventually y caught 10 metres out, but as
all good flankers do Lesley Wheatley was there to take the pop up and she was
able to score under the posts, Katherine Hitchen kicked the conversion, this put
us 17 – 0 up and we were fairly comfortable from there. We then relaxed a bit
too much and let the Vale back into the game, a series of penalties lead them
deep into our 22 and eventually they worked the ball left for their flanker to
dive over, they missed the conversion.
They put a huge effort in to get another try to get close to us but our defence
worked hard and kept them out and the game finished with us camped in their 22
looking for another try.
Team: Melanie
Christie, Karen Snell, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith, Gemma Shevels, Sara
Baxter, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally Fitzpatrick, Caroline
Davies, Katherine Hitchen, Kathryn Henderson, Lesley Wheatley, Natalie Badcock
(Capt). Subs: Ali McMullon, Shona Brown, Elisabeth Jones, Elaine Limond, Helen
Thew
Sunday 6th April
Leo’s 0 v 10 Blaydon
Challenge Div 1 North
We expected a hard fought contest and
that’s what we got despite playing most of the game in the Leo’s half of the
pitch good defence stopped us scoring more than the two tries.
This was a real bruising contest with every player giving their all, Blaydon had
all the territorial advantage, playing the whole of the first half virtually in
the Leo’s 22, it took us nearly 30 minutes to get the first try a storming run
from Victoria Rivett and a “dummy” pass thrown in for good measure as she
crashed over the line. The rest of the half followed a similar theme with
Blaydon attacking and Leo’s putting up a strong defence to keep us out, there
was not a huge amount of running rugby played as there was no space of either
sets of back to operate in, which made it a very forward dominated game.
The game was played in a good spirit by both sets of players and there were some
entertaining moments, one such was when Victoria Rivett broke through the
defence and realise she had a clear 35 meter run to the line, but despite an
amazing turn of speed she was eventually hauled down 5 metres short
The second half was a similar tale with Blaydon doing more attacking and Leo’s
staging the odd breakout and getting into the Blaydon 22. The game was settled
halfway through the half when after a quickly taken penalty the ball was moved
right to Natalie Badcock to score in the corner. When Leo’s got into the Blaydon
22 we defended very well and it was good that we did not concede any points.
This was a good warm up for our National Shield Semi-final at home against Vale
of Lune on 13th April
The Team: Karen Snell, Kathryn Henderson, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith,
Gemma Shevels, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Katy
Storey, Helen Greenwell, Caroline Davies, Gemma Robson, Lesley Wheatley, Natalie
Badcock. Subs: Sally Fitzpatrick, Elaine Limond
Sunday 16th
March
Scunthorpe 10 v 10 Blaydon
Challenge Div 1 North
We arrived in Scunthorpe to see a lovely
sunny day and a firm and flat pitch, idea for the way we wanted to play the
game. Unfortunately for us we were unable to play the way we had planned, this
was largely due to our lack of sharpness around the ruck and maul, allowing the
Scunthorpe back row to get hold of the ball and our 9 and too much whistle which
stopped us getting any continuity.
This was a game that showed that both side were fully committed to the action,
and Scunthorpe came out with real determination to get amongst us which they
did. This resulted in many scrums and penalties, giving Scunthorpe good field
position in our 22. but the one thing we have worked on is defence and we held
them out in the early stages and managed to work our way down field. It took us
20 mins to get into the Scunthorpe 22, and as soon as we were able to get decent
field position we exerted real pressure. Form a scrum 5 m out we shunted their
pack over the line for Helen Green well to touch down.
We were still giving away penalties (real and imaginary) this led to Scunthorpe
scoring their first try. After several thrusts for the line and a couple of
penalties they managed to drive a forward over the line in the right hand
corner. So all square at half time.
We started strongly in the second half having made some substitutions at half
time; we were able to bring on our new player Katy Storie for her first game for
Blaydon. Unfortunately for us we may well have scored too early, our forwards
got into the 22 and were camped there for some time before we managed to drive
Helen Greenwell over for her second try.
In the last 20 mins of thre game we did not get out of our 22 and the penalty
count against us was amazing. But this spurred us on to defend for our lives and
we held out right up until the final whistle before they were able to get the
try to level it. It was also interesting to hear afterwards that the referee was
advising the home team on how to use the ball they were getting. In this game we
apparently gave away more penalties in the last quarter of the game than in the
whole of the rest of the season, and as a coach I find it wholly unsatisfactory
that a good game can be ruined in this way. Still at least we didn’t lose!
Team: Melanie Christie, Karen Snell, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith, Gemma
Shevels, Louise Clarkson, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick (Capt), Caroline Davies, Elisabeth Jones, Kathryn Henderson, Lesley
Wheatley, Helen Greenwell. Subs: Jolene Thirkle. Gemma Robson, Katy Storie
Sunday 23rd
February
Blaydon 5 – 31 Waterloo
Challenge Div 1 North
This was the first time we have played
Waterloo in a league game, and after the game I was under the distinct
impression we never believed we could beat them. With great players like Gil
Burns in their team how could Blaydon beat them, this lack of conviction of what
a good team we are has surfaced before, but I had felt we had got over that this
season. Our first half display was very frustrating, as we played as though we
had never trained together, our defence was disorganised and in attack we gave
silly passes and passed behind our support. This gave waterloo plenty of room to
work in, and they worked in it pretty well, with Burns organising their attacks
well and also scoring two tries as well. We had an early chance to score with
Lesley Wheatley racing towards the corner from half way having beaten almost all
of the cover defence, except burns who pulled off a the cover tackle. Waterloo
scored 3 good tries in the first half, their winger getting around the defence
to score in the corner for their first, the second came from a number 8 pick up
and run to the line. The third was a break made by the centre and a simple pass
to the No 8 gave her a clear run to the line and the conversion was easily made.
We had a good chat at half time, I tried to explain what we needed to do to get
back into the game, not that I really needed to, the players were well aware
they were not playing to their true ability, and what they needed to do to
improve.
The second half was a truer portrayal of the two teams with the try count being
2-1 to Waterloo. The Blaydon forwards had a terrific second half pushing their
scrum backwards and getting the pick and drive going well. The backs started to
get sharper in their moves too. One such series of pick and drive we put the
Waterloo line under real pressure, with the forwards getting close before Elaine
Limond burrowed over for all of 6 inches, it was also her first try for Blaydon,
and showed off all her power and speed to the full!
Waterloo’s two second half tries were both scored by the scrum half, the first
she used the referee well to hit a gap around a ruck and ran in from 20 metres.
The second from my vantage point 30 metres away was a little dubious we had a
scrum, the ball was being passed by our No 9, when their 9 knocked the pass down
(and forward) picked it up and scored ( and believe me I’m desperately trying
not to be biased).
In reality we were beaten by a good side, who were earlier in the season were in
Premier 1, this experience and knowledge was vital in a game of this pace and
quality. We have thre away game to play yet, and hopefully we will be able to
get an away win, and return the favour.
Team: Karen Snell, Louise Clarkson, Gemma Shevels, Ros Stainer-Smith, Ruth
Scott, Elaine Limond, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally Fitzpatrick,
Katherine Hitchen, Caroline Davies, Gemma Robson, Lesley Wheatley, Natalie
Badcock (Capt). Subs: Elisabeth Jones, Kathryn Henderson, Helen Greenwell, Helen
Thew, Jolene Thirkle.
Sunday 16th
February
Billingham 0 v 54 Blaydon
We travelled to Billingham for a
friendly match which gave us the opportunity to give new players and those not
involved much in the league games a run-around. It also gave players the chance
to try out different positions. I was hoping we could try options we do all the
time on the training pitch but never use in a game.
As it turned out the pitch was less than conducive to running rugby and with
puddles and ice all over it , it was going to be hard work on the legs. But both
side tried to play good rugby and in scoring ten tries it may seem like a
steamrolling but Billingham stuck at it well, ands all the tries were tough to
score.
Our new flying flanker Victoria Rivett got our first try after some good forward
drives she crashed over. Natalie Badcock got the next one with her usual strong
running causing all sorts of problems for the home side; she crashed through
several tackles before scoring by the posts. The third try of the half was a
more comical affaire, our forwards set up a maul 20 metres out, as the ball came
out Caroline Davies ran of the line, but all of Billingham stopped thinking the
whistle had gone, this meant the “Coney” could walk to the line.
The second half was a bit one-way traffic, as we scored seven more tries. The
backs and forwards were starting to combine well and this ability to make the
ball do the work created the tries. First to benefit was Shona who raced clear
to score by the posts. Next after good work from the back of the scrum fly half
Suzy Graham raced clear and beat the cover to go round under the posts. The
ability of the forwards to pick and drive in the muddy conditions was excellent
and ensured that for the most part we were going forward. The forwards got their
just rewards when they shoved the Billingham pack over their own line for
Natalie to score the push over.
There were three more tries to come all in similar fashion with forwards and
backs interchanging well and creating over laps for Karen Snell, Sophie Weaver
and Ruth Scott to score tries, with Katherine Hitchen kicking two excellent
conversions Blaydon ran out comfortable winners.
Lastly I must apologise to whoever had to deal with out shirts at the laundry
this week, it probably wasn’t the best idea for the team to do a dive into one
of the wettest and muddiest puddles at the end of the game. Sorry.
Sunday 9th
February
Worcester 10 v 31 Blaydon
National Shield Quarter Finals
This was always going to be a tough
assignment and so it turned out, Worcester were well up for the game and after
our long journey it would take a while to get it out of the system, it took us
till just about 20 mins into he game.
It was a fast and frenetic start with Worcester trying to keep the ball out of
the contact situation and only when really needed to take on Blaydon’s forwards.
This worked to some extent after 15 minutes when the ball got to their no 12 who
ran round the cover defence to score by the posts; luckily for Blaydon they
missed the conversion. This seemed to be the point at which we woke up. The
forwards who were outstanding all game really took on the home side, and created
good opportunities for us. One such chance came after sustained pressure on the
home line till Victoria Rivett got hold of the ball and powered over from 2
metres out, Karen Snell kicked a good conversion. It was a similar storey to the
rest of the half right until just before the break when they turned our ball
over in their 22 and got the ball to no 12 who again managed top out last the
cover to the line 80 metres the other end, and again they missed the conversion.
Not much was needed to be said at half time, the forwards were to continue to
munch them up front and the tries would come, concentrate on the defence when
needed and attack with pace (easily said by the coach !!).
Blaydon took the lead very soon after half time, a penalty move set up in mid
field was worked to attack the blindside with Sally Fitzpatrick giving the
scoring pass to Lesley Wheatley, who ran in the last 40 meters, Karen Snell
Kicked the conversion. From a coaches point of view it is nice to see a
rehearsed penalty move from training work so well.
This seemed to give Blaydon even more confidence and the forwards really warmed
to their task, all of Worcester’s scrum put ins were disrupted and they were
never allowed to relax with or without the ball. This is how we scored our third
try; having kept Worcester in their 22 for a while, we were able to force a
penalty. We tapped and drove in heading for the line, good defence kept out the
initial shove but when the second drive and roll came on they were unable to
stop Victoria Rivett going over for her second try.
There on in it was one-way traffic, the Blaydon forwards giving good ball to the
backs who also grew in confidence as the game wore on. Good handling and support
running down the right combined to get Gemma Shevels a try, Karen Snell narrowly
missing the conversion.
Louise Clarkson scored our last try, the forwards had been pounding the goal
line when the ball was shipped out to Louise on the wing to run in unopposed
with Karen Snell kicking her best conversion of the day it rounded off the
scoring. I was immensely proud of 6the way we played the game and we could have
made life difficult for our selves after their second try, but we rolled our
sleeves up and got back into he game.
Team: Karen Snell, Louise Clarkson, Gemma Shevels, Ros Stainer-Smith, Kathryn
Henderson, Ruth Scott, Elaine Limond, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Helen Greenwell, Caroline Davies, Gemma Robson, Lesley Wheatley,
Natalie Badcock (Capt) Sub: Jolene Thirkle
Sunday 19th January
Vale of Lune 12 v 7 Blaydon
Challenge Div 1 North
In the first half we played some of our
least pleasing rugby of the season. Not having played since before Christmas we
were very rusty, and it showed in our play. Our protection of the ball in
contact was poor and the support in rucks and mauls lacked cohesion, this
resulted in a lot of turnover ball for the Vale and in dangerous positions of
the pitch. Most of the first half was played between our 22 and their 10 metre
line, with numerous penalties not helping our flow. Their first try came from a
dropped ball in our own 22 they recycled and run left to squeeze over in the
corner, the conversion was missed. We then had a brief spell of pressure in
their 22 but yet again penalties cost us ground and possession. Their second try
came after sustained pressure on our line, we managed to push them back but
their winger gathered the ball and out paced the defenders to run round and
score under the posts, the conversion was successful. Half time arrived 12 – 0
to the Vale.
In the second half we played much better, our rucking became
more effective, and when we got their players away from the ball quickly we were
able to build attacks. We also had to contend with very lack refereeing of the
off side line. (Coaching whinge) I appreciate that player’s push the off side
line to the limit but when the flanker is getting to the fly half before the
ball you have to wonder. This said we have the experience and knowledge to deal
with this and we should have, it’s our fault we did not win. We got back into
the game with a try from Natalie Badcock after she broke several tackles to
score by the posts, Sara Baxter converted, 12-7. I hoped we would then go on to
get more control and at least get the draw from this point. But the Vale lifted
their heads and came back at us and camped on our goal line. This was won
pleasing aspect of the game was the defence right on the line we kept them out
and got under the ball several times until they lost the ball and we cleared our
lines. Penalties and possibly a bit of a lack of composure when we had the ball
meant we could not get the try we needed and time ran out on our efforts. It is
only our second loss of the season, and I and the players intend it to be our
last.
Team: Melanie Christie, Gemma Shevels, Catherine Arden, Ros
Stainer-Smith, Karen Snell, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel
Hayes, Sally Fitzpatrick, Helen Greenwell, Lisa Peacock, Gemma Robson, Lesley
Wheatley, Natalie Badcock (Capt). Subs: Elisabeth Jones, Kathryn Henderson,
Caroline Davies.
Sunday 15th December
Blaydon 17 – 0 Leo’s
National Shield 1st Round
Another fine performance in pretty awful conditions. A
dank, dark wet day meant that any hopes of a day of running rugby were quickly
squashed (in the mud). A markedly improved Leo’s team arrived with revenge in
mind and a determination to put last weeks performance behind them. Blaydon were
hoping for more of the same but conditions and the opponents soon put paid to
that. Blaydon also had to make some changes to the team both positional and
players. A special mention must go to Caroline Davies aka Coney, who stood in a
prop for the first time and did a fine job, whilst vowing never to do it again
(many thanks from the coach).
The game itself was very much confined to the middle of the pitch, with neither
side really able to exert long periods of pressure, knock ons and dropped ball
was the order of the day. But credit to both sides for trying, Blaydon were
probably the more ambitious in how they wanted to play the game. Leo’s used
their forwards more and kicked for position. Blaydon’s forwards worked well in
spells and when they got it right they were able to use the backs to good
effect. One such series of drive lead to the first try, the ball was worked up
the field to about 10 metres out; it squirted out and was picked up by Melanie
Christie who beat the cover to score in the right hand corner.
Blaydon changed their tactics slightly in the second half, using the chip and
chase to turn Leo’s and keep them in their third of the pitch. This worked very
well and the bobbling ball proved difficult to pick up. This also meant at they
had to attack from their own half, or kick the ball. One such kick lead to our
second try, the ball was picked up by Melanie Christie, who started to counter
attack, this lead to her running through the heart of the Leo’s team to score
her second in the right hand corner. It was a kick out of defence that lead to
Melanie’s third try the ball was gathered and passed down the line, Mel passed
to Elaine Limond, making a welcome appearance on the wing, she then looped and
having received the ball again ran round the cover defence from 50 metres out to
score under the posts. Sara Baxter kicked her easiest conversion of the day.
Leo’s threw everything at Blaydon after this and worked up to our 22, but
organised defence stopped them getting any points. Blaydon were able to run out
(extremely muddy) Winners 17-0.
Team: Melanie Christie, Karen Snell, Gemma Shevels, Ros Stainer-Smith, Louise
Clarkson, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Caroline Davies, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Catherine Hitchen, Elisabeth Jones, Lesley Wheatley, Natalie
Badcock, Helen Greenwell. Subs Jolene Thirkle, Sophie Weaver, Kathryn Henderson,
Elaine Limond.
Sunday 8th December
Blaydon 56 – 5 Leo’s
Challenge Div 1 North
This was one of the most satisfying displays Blaydon has
put on this season, in the first half we played some scintillating rugby. We
scored five tries and some were the result of moves and plays that were executed
very well.
Normally Blaydon take a bit of time to get going, but not this week we hit the
ground running literally, after five minutes we had a scrum midfield, we ran the
ball left with backs and forwards combining to keep the ball alive this allowed
Sara Baxter to crash over in the left hand corner. The second try came form a
well worked penalty move, with the decoy runner working well, Sally Fitzpatrick
ran blind, linked with Kathryn Henderson on the wing, making good ground for
Lesley Wheatley to take the scoring pass. At this point in the game Leo’s were
under constant pressure, but tackled and worked hard in defence. The third try
came from another well run back move, from a lineout 20 metres out the ball came
off the top and two dummy switches in midfield held the defence allowing Karen
Snell to stroll over the line almost unchallenged.
Blaydon were full of confidence during this period and almost everything they
tried came off, and the support play, angles of running and keeping the ball
alive meant that Leo’s defence was never really able to get organised. Two more
tries were to come before half time. The next was due reward for the front five,
at an attacking 5 metre scrum Blaydon shoved Leo’s back over their own line ,
Natalie Badcock getting the touchdown. Blaydon’s ability to keep the ball alive
paid dividends again just before half time, fine breaks by the forwards got us
into the 22, the ball was then moved left for Gemma Shevels to get an easy try.
Half time gave us the chance to get our breaths and to plan the second half. We
emphasised the need to continue the work and not to let our standards drop,
which on the whole we did. In order to keep the momentum going it was vital we
scored early in the second half, and after some storming runs by the forwards
the backs handled well going left and again Lesley Wheatley popped up to take
the scoring pass. Despite a bit of a hangover Victoria Rivett made some
storming runs, bouncing off defenders as she went, one such runs got her a try,
she picked up the ball 5 metres out and using all her pace stormed over the
line, taking three defenders with her.
Blaydon continued to make great breaks and on several occasions would have
scored but for good defending and if the last pass hand got to the intended
target. Natalie Badcock got her second try but all the hard work had been done,
the ball was worked down the right hand side Gemma Shevels had taken on three
defenders, and not realising they had let her go, she passed the ball to Nat who
strolled over the line, the conversion being kicked by Sara Baxter. Lesley
Wheatley got her third try when she came onto a pass at pace and despite a
couple of tackles just made it to the line, Sara Baxter again kicking the
conversion. Lesley decide to have arrest having done her work and this gave
Caroline Davies (Coney) a chance to play for the first time since coming back
from Australia. The last try was also a team effort with both forwards and backs
handling and recycling well, finished off well
by Helen Greenwell who scored from open play for a change, Sara Baxter
converting.
Team: Karen Snell, Kathryn Henderson, Sophie Weaver, Ros Stainer-Smith, Gemma
Shevels, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Helen Greenwell, Catherine Hitchen, Gemma Robson, Lesley Wheatley,
Natalie Badcock. Subs Caroline Davies, Elisabeth Jones and Jolene Thirkle
Sunday 24th November 2002
Blaydon 18 - 14 Novos
Challenge Div 1 North
Blaydon won a hard fought victory over their local rivals
thanks mainly due to a dominating display by their forwards who, had complete
control of the scrums and kept Novos on the back foot the whole game, and some
of the rucking and mauling splintered the Novos pack. This meant that the game
was played almost entirely in the Novos half, with only rare visits to the
Blaydon 22, but Novos still managed to score two tries.
In the first half Blaydon had complete dominance of the possession and
territory, and only spirited defence stopped Blaydon putting the game beyond the
reach of the visitors. After a series of attacks Ruth Scott managed to get the
ball over the line for Blaydon’s first try, this was due reward for Blaydon’s
attacking approach work. The game carried on in the same vein in that Blaydon
were camped in the Novos 22, they defended well until the forwards got a maul
driving for the line, in the middle was Helen Greenwell with the ball and she
was able to get the ball down for the try.
The third try just before half time was a combined forward effort when the
Blaydon forwards shoved Novos back over their own line allowing Natalie Badcock
to touch down. At half time Blaydon were in a reasonably happy position, but
having been in the same situation previously and lost we were determined not to
let it happen again.
The second half followed the same pattern as the first with Blaydon doing all
the attacking and Novos defending for all they were worth. On the rare occasions
they got out of their half they did cause Blaydon a few problems, and the two
times this happened they got tries. The first was after a break by their No 8
the ball was then moved left for the winger to beat the cover to score and mid
way through the half they attack the Blaydon mid field and the outside centre
raced away to score under the posts, both tries were converted by the fly half.
This set up a tense final 10 mins with Blaydon looking to convert pressure into
points and Novos looking for the break they needed. The Blaydon pack again
lifted their effort and forced Novos to give a penalty away in front of their
posts about 25 metres out, Sara Baxter stepped up and coolly slotted the ball
between the posts to give Blaydon a bit of breathing space, it also meant that
Novos had to go for the try. Blaydon were determined not to let this one gat
away and impressive defending kept Novos out until the final whistle which gave
Blaydon a well deserved win. This result keeps us top of the league and 4 points
clear of the chasing pack.
Team: Karen Snell, Gemma Shevels, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith, Louise
Clarkson, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Helen Greenwell, Catherine Hitchen, Kathryn Henderson, Lesley
Wheatley, Natalie Badcock (Captain) Subs: Elisabeth Jones, Gemma Robson and
Claire Proctor
Sunday 10th November 2002
Blaydon 41 v 8 Scunthorpe
Challenge Div 1 North
This was the first time we have ever played Scunthorpe, so
we were a little unsure of what to expect, but having beaten Waterloo the week
before we thought they must be a good side, which they turned out to be.
The first scrums we just shoved them all over the place, and stole several balls
against the head. This gave us plenty of possession and territory; but we tended
to keep it a little too close to their forwards. Their forwards are well drilled
and in rucks and mauls they drive very well, and they defended the edges of the
ruck and maul well.
We came close to scoring several times before we got our first try, it came from
a ball against the head we ran left and recycled and the ball went down the line
for Sara Baxter to squeeze over the line. Scunthorpe then got their forwards
going and their driving play go them deep into our half, and added to a couple
of penalties we gave away, were able to get a penalty kick in front of the
posts, 5-3.
We then resumed our efforts in side their 22, we kept knocking on the door but
stout defence from Scunthorpe meant we could not get the second try, this in
turn made us force some passes, resulting in knock ons and other mistakes.
Ironically it was our mistake that lead to our second try. From a scrum
Scunthorpe tried to run out of defence, but telegraphed a pass, Sara Baxter saw
this and intercepted the pass and scored under the posts, and converted it. We
arrived at half time 12 – 3.
Scunthorpe came out with all guns blazing in the second half, that and us giving
penalties away enable them to get into our 22 and put our line under pressure,
from one penalty they worked an opening for the Number 8 to crash over.
From that point our game started to improve and the fluency which we have had in
the last couple of games started to flow and the handling and support play was
very much better. While Scunthorpe tired we stepped up the pace and started to
create more try scoring opportunities, the first one to be taken was scored by
Ruth Scott, who after several mini rucks on their line fought her way over right
in the corner. Skipper Natalie Badcock got the next try with a typical
barnstorming run, breaking tackles on her long run to the try line, and Sara
Baxter kicked the conversion. Our next try was due reward for the front five
forwards who had scrummaged hard all day, having nearly created a push over try
for Nat, but she lost control as we were going that fast, so next time they just
shoved the Scunthorpe pack over their own line, Natalie this time getting the
touchdown after almost running over the line. The last try came after several
more chances, after several phases of play the ball flew down the back line for
full back for the day Karen Snell to crash over, Sara Baxter kicking her best
conversion of the match to add the 2 points.
The Team: Karen Snell, Louise Clarkson, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith,
Gemma Shevels, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Katie Armstrong, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Helen Greenwell, Lisa Peacock, Kathryn Henderson, Lesley Wheatley,
Natalie Badcock. Subs: Sophie Weaver, Catherine Hitchen, Gemma Robson and Jolene
Thirkle all got a run out
Sunday 3rd November 2002
Fleetwood 24 - 34 Blaydon
Challenge Div 1 North
We were ready to take on Fleetwood again, but probably not
this soon. Despite the sudden rearrangement of the fixture we travelled with
high hopes of our first win at Fleetwood. We knew that after our win at home
they would be stronger and very determined to beat us, and so it proved.
We had to use their second choice pitch due to the weather, which was had a
slight up hill lean to it, with the wind coming down. We played down hill first
half but Fleetwood started in very determined mood and scored first, after good
driving play the scrum half burrowed over to score. This shook us out of any
apathy we had, and from the restart we powered down the hill forcing a scrum 20
m out, Natalie picked up and drove at the defence, we recycled the ball and the
backs got close to scoring before Katherine Hitchen picked up and dived over.
Natalie was to score a typically rampaging try next she got hold of the ball 55m
out and just ran at the defenders, they either bounced off or could not get hold
of her and she scored under the posts. Sara Baxter kicked the conversion.
The next try was one straight off the training pitch, Natalie picked up at 8 and
ran blind, made some ground before popping inside to back row colleague Katie
Armstrong who then made the score for Lesley Wheatley to score almost unopposed.
The last try of the half came from the backs, good turnover ball was sent out to
the backs, a fine angled run by Gemma Shevels put her through the line and the
looping Catherine Arden received the pass to score by the corner. So at half
time we were reasonably happy.
The second half did not start as we had planned, a long kick off was not
gathered particularly well and the tackles were made and we turned the ball
over. This put us under a huge amount of pressure, which Fleetwood used to get a
series of penalties, and from one of theses their dynamic scrum half crashed
over for her second try, the conversion was successful. We were then put under a
serious amount of renewed pressure some of it from good Fleetwood play and some
of it from our own mistakes and too many penalties conceded. But we managed top
hold out for 10-15 mins under the cosh, and then managed to get some ball to
work our way up the touchline and into Fleetwood territory, a fine kick into he
22 by Sara Baxter led to their full back kicking the ball against her own player
and going over the dead ball line, from the resultant scrum 5 to us Natalie
picked up and drove over the line.
However Fleetwood never gave up and scored another try through the forwards when
their prop crashed over from 5m, the conversion was kicked. This gave Fleetwood
a glimmer of hope, but it was extinguished when Katie Armstrong got the ball on
halfway beat several tackles and sprinted away to score under the posts, this
effort topped off a superb game from Katie in her first full league game for us.
Fleetwood scored one last try by their full back in the corner but it was too
late to affect the result, and on the day I think we were deserved winners.
Team: Louise Clarkson, Gemma Shevels, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith, Jolene
Thirkle, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Katherine Hitchen, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Helen Greenwell, Lisa Peacock, Katie Armstrong, Lesley Wheatley,
Natalie Badcock (Capt.)
Sunday 20th
October 2002
Blaydon 62 -10 Fleetwood
Challenge Div 1 North
Due to a last minute clash wit the Durham v Northumberland
Under 16 games we had to decamp to Ryton RFC, our partners in the Gateshead
Girls rugby initiative, to play our ‘home’ fixture. We were pretty much at full
strength with only a few players unavailable through injuries, and we had to
fill the hole left by Jane Leonard who has joined Ripon in order to progress her
ambition to play for England, all at Blaydon wish her well in that aim. But her
leaving left a spot for other players to show what they can do.
The game also saw the first game of the season for Ruth McKeown at flanker and
her experience and knowledge really helped galvanise the forwards, and they in
turn produced some really good driving play and the handling in close quarters
was the best we have achieved all season. This in turn gave the backs some time
and good ball to use and they used it very well with much better running lines,
the right moves at the right time and some really good running off the ball.
This style of play resulted in us scoring some excellent team tries. The first
came form a series of rucks and driving runs from the forwards, the ball was
then run right to the winger Karen Snell, she got the ball and with not much
room to work in ran down the touch line outpacing three defender to score in the
corner. The second try followed a similar pattern, we attacked mid field , the
forwards took the ball on and recycled several times before the ball got to
Melanie Christie who cruised down the touch line and then stepped inside the
full back to score under the posts, Sara Baxter got the first of her six
conversions. Karen Snell got her second try after good work again from the
forwards, whose ability to pick and drive caused Fleetwood problems all game,
the ball got to Karen who crashed over for her second.
The fourth was pretty similar with a series of mini rucks and then forwards
running at the disorganised defence and a final pass to Ruth Scott who strolled
under the posts. Straight from the kick off Natalie got the ball and ran
straight down the middle and a number of defenders missed the tackle and she
scored under the posts, Sara kicking the extra points. Melanie Christie got her
second after pressure from Fleetwood they kicked ahead, Mel picked up the ball
and ran 80 metres to score under the posts, and Sara got kick no 3. The forwards
were rewarded for their efforts when the rampaging Victoria Rivett smashed
through several tired tackles to score under the posts, kick No 4 was kicked by
Sara.
The second half was a closer affaire, the forwards of Fleetwood got some good
drives going and Blaydon were slow to stop them, one of these drives resulted in
a try. Almost straight away Blaydon replied with another strong run from Nat who
scored under the posts, Sara’s conversion was successful. Fleetwood never gave
up and their No 9 Worked hard all day and she was rewarded with a typical dart
round the blind side to score.
But the last word came from Blaydon, great handling and support running got
Catherine Arden a try when new Player Gemma Shevels was tackled just short of
the line. The forwards got a collective try when they pushed the Fleetwood 8
over their line and touched down by Helen Greenwell, Sara kicked an excellent
conversion from wide on the right.
Team: Melanie Christie, Karen Snell, Catherine Arden, Ros
Stainer-Smith, Sophie Weaver, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel
Hayes, Sally Fitzpatrick, Lisa Peacock, Catherine Hitchen, Ruth McKeown, Natalie
Badcock (Captain), Helen Greenwell. Subs Kathryn Henderson, Louise Clarkson,
Elaine Limond, Gemma Shevels
Sunday 5th October 2002
Hove 7 - 5 Blaydon
National Cup First Round
We had managed top get a full 15 for the trek to the south
coast for the first round cup game, fortunately we were able to go down on
Saturday, despite some not being able to leave until 6pm.
We were unable to select form a full squad, but the side put
out was certainly able to win the game, or so I thought. The game followed a
predictably course that I have seen of late. We had plenty of ball and camped in
the opposition 22 for long periods, but we were unable to rack up the points our
play deserved (you might say we did not get the tries, so we don’t deserve the
points). This season it has become an annoying habit, something I will have to
sort out quickly. The players have a large part to play here, when we get into
the “red zone” we seem to look for others to score, it is about time we started
to say I’m going to score and really go for it.
Hove rarely threatened through several phases of play; it was
down to our penalty count that in the second half kept them in our half. The
first try came mid way through the half, we had already had a warning, when a
drop out was ran back, only for a fine try saving tackle by the corner flag from
Mel Christie, (recently selected for the Scottish squad), a repeat some minuets
later resulted in the outside centre scoring under the posts, the conversion was
kicked.
This stirred us into action and good handling and some good
driving play from lineouts got us into the Hove 22. From the resulting scrum we
drove for the line, we recycled three times before Natalie Badcock dived over
for the try. We missed the conversion and that’s where the scoring finished.
Hove had several goal line attacks but our defence worked very hard and kept
them out, but we were unable to get into a decent field position to pressure
them. Despite what I have already said, with just the bear 15 and people playing
out of position I am still very proud of what we did, yes there is a lot to be
said and put right, but that is for the training pitch.
So it was a long journey home for the team and a long time to
reflect, I know when we get it right we will really wipe the floor with someone,
watch out Fleetwood!
Sunday 29th September
Novos 21-10 Blaydon
Challenge Div 1 North
This was the tight affair that we all
expected, with the game being played a quite a pace. Blaydon had an outstanding
first half, the best half of rugby we have played for a long time. The forwards
had complete control and only desperate defence stopped us scoring several
tries. Our rucking was vastly improved from the Vale game, and this gave the
backs a much better ball to attack with. We got there ball over the goal line
several times but were unable to get the ball down to satisfy the referee. Our
first try came from a devastating drive from the forwards, pushing Novos over
their own line for Natalie Badcock to touch down, Sarah Baxter missed the
conversion.
Our second try again came from a series of drives and good
continuity for Natalie to get her second try in the corner, unfortunately Karen
Snell was unable to kick the conversion from the touch line. We arrived at 10-0
all we needed to do was too keep the level of performance up and we would
achieve our first win at Sutherland Park.
The second half was a different affaire, Novos decided to
avoid taking our forwards on and tried to keep the ball away from contact. We
also gave them too much room to operate, and instead of getting in their faces
we stood back, and with the veteran Jo Wells coming on she was able to organise
the team that in the first half showed little real organisation.
The winning tries came from their youngsters, with their
winger racing in for two tries from half way and the scrum half scooted in from
30m. Despite the variance of refereeing in the second half we had ample
opportunity to get back into the match, we probably we too eager and this lead
to mistake in vital areas, which another day we would be calmer and would score.
We also were able to give two new players to the club a taste of senior rugby
and both Gemma Robson and Katie Armstrong played very well and both look to be
very good additions to the squad,
The next game is the National Cup trip to Hove on the south
coast, where we will endeavour to get back on a winning trail.
Team: Louise Clarkson, Karen Snell, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith, Kathryn
Henderson, Sara Baxter, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Helen Greenwell, Catherine Hitchen, Gemma Robson, Jane Leonard,
Natalie Badcock (Capt) Subs: Lisa Peacock, Katie Armstrong, Elaine Limond.
Sunday 15th September
Blaydon 14 - 5 Vale of Lune
Challenge Div 1 North
Our first league game of the season
turned out to be a very scrappy affaire, the majority of the play took place inn
the middle of the field with a lack of real flow, in part due to the referee’s
whistle. We tried hard to get the patterns of rugby we had been working on in
training, we were unable to achieve this because of the Vale’s good defence and
their ability to push the offside line to the limits.
The game started with us under pressure in the first 10
minutes in our 22, but good defence repelled all of the Vale’s attacks, and we
were able to work our way back up field. It turned into a battle of the Vale
kicking for position and us trying to create a good field position with ball in
hand. A series of rucks lead to our first try when Rachel Hayes picked up and
went to drive into the opposition only to find a gap and ended up running in a
try from 35 metres out. Ali McMullon kicked the conversion.
The game followed a pretty similar pattern for the rest of
the game. We had periods when we dominated the play but were not able to get the
points, then we slipped back into mistake ridden rugby, very frustrating for the
coach I can tell you.
New skipper Natalie Badcock got our second try fine a
storming run in from half way, this gave us breathing space, which we needed as
we played 50 minutes in the second half. The Vale try came from good ruck ball
they ran right to squeeze the winger in at the corner.
So we got off to a winning start, we will play better as the season goes on, and
we are happy with the points, we also have plenty to work on in training.
Team: Mel Christie, Karen Snell, Catherine Arden, Ros Stainer-Smith, Kathryn
Henderson, Ali McMullon, Ruth Scott, Victoria Rivett, Rachel Hayes, Sally
Fitzpatrick, Catherine Hitchen, Helen Greenwell, Lesley Wheatley, Jane Leonard,
Nat Badcock (Capt). Subs Lisa Peacock, Sophie Weaver
Updated 11 November, 2003