Ruby's back!

More good news from yesterday evening - Ruby Sharp has been given the all clear to return to the field next season!

Ruby - who has been playing so long that she makes Sasha look like a novice - was a key member of our U14 team in the first season, coming a very close second to Hayley in the tables of points scored (something like 95 to Hayley's 110) including what is still a record seven tries in a single game - against Chesham in the Herts Sevens in 2005. Ruby was also one of four U14s to be selected for the regional squad in that first season - along with Nichola, Hayley and Carla.

Her back problem appeared in training at the start of the 2005/6 season and she has not played since the Rochford Festival of October 2005. She was due to have captained the U14s that season, and her loss was a big blow what was an otherwise inexperienced squad. She also missed all of last season, which would have been her first in the U17s, but thanks to the age group changes she can still look forward to three years at the high level.

Mind you the game has moved on a bit since 2004/5. In Hertfordshire the eight or ten teams that existed in our first season have consolidated on four major clubs - none of which can be described as easy opponents - and a similar thing seems to have happened in parts of Essex, giving us better opponents but rather fewer of them. Its also mildly amusing now to recall how horrified people (including her father) were that first year by the idea that we might travel as far as west London for fixtures - might be looked on as being practically in our back yard these days!

Ruby won't have long to get back into the groove - in fact she is going to have to hit the ground running to revive her representative rugby as the county trials are in early September, and regional trials for East may be in December - not long to prepare after a two year lay-off. Apart from anything else, Ruby obviously has no set position. She may have played fly-half in our first season, but that was because she was the one who could most reliably catch the ball... will it be her best position today?

But - hot on the heals of the departure of one "legend" (Nim) its great news to have another one coming back!