Options at 18: where the adult clubs will be playing

Nothing stays still in the world of the women's rugby leagues. Teams rise and fall, resulting in annual shakeups of leagues which - while partly based on last year's results - can mean significant moves up, down and sideways.

Looking at the new structure, announced by RFUW yesterday, it is our nearest neighbours and probably home for most of our "graduates" who face the biggest changes. In a redrawing of boundaries that makes you worry a bit about RFUW's knowledge of basic geography Hitchin are now the far northern outpost of what is otherwise (with the exception of Tabard) a Kent and Sussex league. 

The hedgehogs will be getting to know the M25 pretty well as they travel to Beckenham (Beccehamians), Tonbridge, Medway, Dover, Hastings and Footscray (which I thought was an Aussie rules team from Melbourne, but which in this case may be from SE London). Quite why they are in this division when there is a separate (and smaller) league based around Essex and the Eastern Counties I have a struggle working out. Maybe Twickenham does not own any maps?

One division above them Old Albanians II and Hertford will also be getting to know Kent pretty well - apart from one local fixture against Harlow.

Shelford are a division above them in Midlands 2 with visits to Lichfield, Buckingham and "Cambridge Select" (who are a new one on me. The university maybe?).

Above them Saracens II and Old Albanians I are in South I with trips to Plymouth, Bath and Cheltenham in prospect, which leaves Saracens I in the top tier travelling... everywhere.

So - come September - wherever our ex-U18s go they have some long journeys to look forward to. Bu then they are used to that!