Dazzling Dorking!

With the sun beating down all day and a rock hard playing surface, it was a perfect day for 7s rugby .... well, not really, but this was a superb tournament despite the obvious drawbacks noted above and a computer printer failure which meant us going back to using paper and pens for the day. (Fantastic technology, by the way - I wonder if it will catch on?)

There were 7 U18s team entered and these played in two groups : Wimbourne/Central Weald/Chobham and Letchworth/Dorking/Worthing/Mitcham : with the top 2 from each group going forward to the cup competition and the others competing for the plate.

Our first game was against Mitcham and the girls were in fine form scoring 5 tries to win the game comfortably 25-10. The second game saw Letchworth take on Worthing in a very evenly balanced match. It was really exciting to watch with breaks galore and fantastic try-saving tackles on both sides - the tackles by Natalie, Nikki and Emily being particularly memorable - but Letchworth were just beaten by 3 tries to 2. The final group game for Letchworth was against the home side who proved to be very strong rattling in some 6 tries with only one try from Nikki in reply. During this game, Carla landed very heavily on her shoulder and neck and was duly strapped down and carted off to the hospital to be fully checked over.

So at the end of the group games we found ourselves in 3rd place and destined for the plate competition. Meanwhile, Dorking and Worthing proceeded to the cup competition and deservedly came away as cup winners and runners-up respectivly.

In the plate competition, Letchworth played Chobham first and paid the penalty for conceeding 2 tries in quick succession at the start of the game. Having gone 10-0 down, Letchworth came back strongly but could not quite overcome the strong Chobham side eventually losing the game 20-15. The final match was against our first opponents of the day, Mitcham. This was a much closer encounter than the first meeting and, having established a good lead early on, Letchworth found themselves clinging on at the end to win by a single try 15-10

So at the end of a day of mixed fortunes and very hard work by all the players, Letchworth found themselves runners-up in the plate competition. Happily I can report that Carla's injury was not as serious as at first feared and she was released from hospital that afternoon.

Here are a few pictures of a great day of rugby -

There are more pictures on the famous Threlfall archive and also at www.scrumpix.co.uk which you may like to see.

This was a great tournament which everyone really enjoyed so many, many thanks to Jo Martin, to Dorking rugby club and, of course, to the first aid/ambulance crews for their help treating Carla's injury.

Letchworth try scorers :

Natalie (4), Nikki (3), Katie (3), Jess (3), Charlie

Letchworth U18s win trophy at Dorking 7s

Letchworth U18 girls won the runners-up shield in the 'Plate' competition at the London & South-East 7s tournament at Dorking RFC today.

Full report to follow shortly.

Simon's small stars secure silver

News from Herts Youth Games where the North Herts U11 tag team that Simon and several of you have been working with on Tuesday evenings finished an impresive second, beaten by East Herts in the final.

On a very hot day the North Herts girls stormed through their group undefeated before the final - a big difference from last year's monsoon!

The challenge now will be to keep these new stars in the game...

Herts 7s draw: opponents old and new

The draw for Herts 7s has been published.

The U15 competition includes a "Barbarians" team which Laura will be playing for. They are in Group A of the competition along with Tamworth (11.00) and Basford (11.40).

Curiously, and to get off the point for a minute, the latter I think originally entered just as Rochford, which was an encouraging sign - I thought - of a cluster unclustering [see previous article and in particular the discussion for what I am getting at - this is not an anti-Basford dig before it is interpreted that way!]. Apparently not. Only when we see some successful declusterings will I believe that the policy is in the long-term interests of the game - until then... well, without wishing to reopen the debate let's just say it worries me a bit. Anyway...

After that they will have at least two more games in the bowl, cup or plate (congratulations to the organisers for sticking to the Herts 7s policy of making all games "count" - no "dead rubbers" at Tabard!).

For the U18s we are in Pool D alongside Bucks Jesters (12.00) and Pavworth Maoris (12.40). The former are basically Aylesbury/Milton Keynes, while the latter are mainly the Paviors team that were our nemesis at East Midland 10s and Herts 7s last season... time to put something right? The U18s will also then proceed into cup, plate or bowl semi finals like the U15s. The fun ends at around 4pm... well, that is when its DUE to finish anyway!

Full draw in the Herts blog. The tournament rules are unchanged from, well, our hosting of the event in 2006.

Winning on paper?

This is quite funny, though whether Worcester would agree I am not sure. After all, would you like a news report on your triumph illustrated with a picture of the team that finished fourth?

Women's Rugby Review have done a bit better - right team, wrong trophy!

Thursday training

All players please note that training this Thursday will be from 5.45 to 7.00 pm.

London & South-East 7s : times & directions

This Sunday (11th May) the U18s are playing in the London & South-East 7s at Dorking RFC. There are still 9 entries in the U18s event and the draw for it will be announced at registration at 9.45am. The journey is expected to take around 1 hour 30 minutes so can everyone please meet at the Letchworth club at 8.00 am.

The Dorking club can be found at The Pavilion, The Big Field, Brockham, Surrey RH3 7LZ (Tel : 01737 844282) and directions to the club can be found at http://www.dorkingrugbyclub.co.uk/Directions.htm

Happy 18th Birthday, Randy!

Bank Holiday Monday saw most of the U18s team plus coaches, friends and family back at the Letchworth club to celebrate Randy's 18th birthday. It was a great relaxing day in beautiful warm weather but a certain competitive element continued through the day as these pictures demonstrate.

We got underway with an U18s v. O18s (I could have said 'Adults' but that would be stretching the bounds of credibility too far) rounders match which was played in good spirit with both teams cheating as much as possible. First off is Simon ......

Meanwhile over at the boundary fence, Wonky has found a way in ....

... and joins the O18s team to cheer them on ...

After a fantastic innings by the O18s, it's the U18s turn ....

The girls cheer on another bit of spectacular rule changing part way through the game ...

Result :

O18s = Too many rounders to count!
U18s = Too few rounders to matter!

Masterchefs, Dave & Dave set to work on the barbecue ...

After eating, a gentle game of 'Piggy in the middle' ...

... and then someone had the idea of using the icy water used for keeping the drinks cool to keep the people cool, whether they wanted to be cooled or not ....

... and then someone else decides that what's sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose ...

... and then yet another hydrophile decides to use the entire contents of the coolbox ...

Randy, fearing what may come next, makes a hurried bid for freedom ...

Fortunately, Randy is back in time for Wonky & Simon to present her with cakes, chocolates and a team picture signed by her friends ...

... and Sharpy presents her with a bottle of bubbly ...

Randy celebrates ...

... and everyone takes cover remembering the icy water from a few minutes earlier ...

Funnily enough, Julie remembers the icy water better than most and Simon looks distinctly worried as she appears brandishing a knife. Equally worried, Wonky tries to look innocent ...

Fortunately, it's just for Randy to cut the cake that Wonky baked ...

Happy Birthday, Randy!!

National 10s at Lichfield

What a frenetic competition! The match scheduling saw all 6 teams competing in matches every 40 minutes from 12.15 pm to 2.50 pm which, with the usual array of stoppages for injuries, etc., meant that almost every one of the games we played in finished after the next one was due to start!

The competitors in the 2008 RFUW National 10s finals were from all over England : Darlington MP, Letchworth, Reading, Tynedale, Wimbourne & Worcester : and the competition was fierce from the first whistle to the last.

Letchworth opened against Wimbourne who we drew with only a few weeks ago at Reading and a very close fought battle again ended in a draw with the same 10-10 scoreline! Try scorers for Letchworth were Sasha and Hayley.

The second game was against Tynedale in which Letchworth built up a sound lead through 3 tries by Hayley and a try and 2 conversions from Sasha only to have Tynedale respond strongly to the challenge scoring 3 tries of their own and chasing the game all the way to the final whistle. The final score was Letchworth 24 Tynedale 17.

The third game was against favourites Worcester who lived up to that billing with some fine rugby. Despite Letchworth's best efforts, Worcester scored 6 tries and ran out 38 - 0 winners.

The penultimate game was against Darlington Mowden Park who stormed away to lead Letchworth 15 - 0 at the interval and, but for some determined defence, it could have been more - Katie got underneath the ball as Darlington tried to ground it for a try, Charlie drove a Darlington attacker out from the in goal area, etc.. I don't know what was said at half-time, but the Letchworth that came out for the second half were in determined mood and they forced themselves back into the game with tries by Carla and Natalie to make it 15-10 with just two minutes remaining. The finale of the game came with Nikki breaking through the centre of the Darlington defence deep in the Letchworth half, running half a pitch length before the defence got to her and then offloading to Randy who galloped under the posts to level the scores. Sasha held her nerve to kick over the conversion and Letchworth had secured the narrowest of wins 17 - 15.

The last game was against our old adversary, Reading. Our last meeting at Reading a few weeks ago had resulted in a convincing victory for the hosts and this match was to be no different. Although Letchworth were competing strongly throughout the match, Reading cut though to score 4 tries and the match ended with Letchworth camped on the Reading line but unable to convert that position into points. Final score : Reading 24 Letchworth 0.

The major downside of this match was the injury to Rosie who had put in tremendous effort all day. I understand that, although the injury is not as bad as at first feared, Rosie is likely to be out of action for several weeks. Get well soon, Rosie!

And so we come to the final positions. Having won 2 games and drawn another we found ourselves in mid-table with an identical record to Wimbourne who, by virtue of a much better points difference, are placed above us :

1st Worcester

2nd Reading

3rd Wimbourne

4th Letchworth

5th Darlington Mowden Park

6th Tynedale

What a hard day that was! The Letchworth squad all pulled together fantastically throughout the day and they never gave up even when the task appeared impossible. The reward for that belief and that effort is to be be placed 4th in the RFUW National 10s - one place higher than last year - and the highest placing Letchworth Girls have ever achieved in an RFUW National competition!

Selecting our player of the tournament was a very difficult job for the coaches because all the squad excelled themselves on the day. When the deliberations were over, the final verdict gave the title to Randy.

Results :

Letchworth 10 Wimbourne 10

Letchworth 24 Tynedale 17

Letchworth 0 Worcester 38

Letchworth 17 Darlington MP 15

Letchworth 0 Reading 24

Tries :

Hayley 4

Sasha 3

Carla 1

Natalie 1

Randy 1

Conversions :

Sasha 3

• A slideshow of photos from Sunday can now be found in the Threlfall Archive.

London & South-East 7s

On Sunday, May 11th the U18s are travelling to Dorking to take part in the London & South-East 7s and, according to the provisional entry list we've received, we should be meeting quite a few teams that we haven't played before as well as a couple of teams that we've met quite a few times over the last two seasons!

The U18 entries for the London & South-East 7s are :

Beckenham RFC
Central Weald
Chobham RFC
Dorking RFC
Letchworth Garden City RFC
Mitcham RFC
Wimbourne RFC
Worthing RFC I
Worthing RFC II

The draw for the group stages will be made next week.

Taken any good photos recently?

The IRB have launched their annual Rugby Photograph of the Year competition - first prize, a trip for two to the Dubai Rugby Sevens at the end of November. The five runners up will have their photographs published alongside the winning entry in the IRB World Rugby Yearbook 2009, which will be on the bookshelves in early November.

The competition aims to capture "the spirit of Rugby" and is open to both professional and amateur photographers and photographs can be submitted from all levels of the game, including local club and junior rugby. The judges will be looking for a stand out picture that depicts the qualities of teamwork, camaraderie, fellowship, skill and fair play.

Last year’s competition attracted well over 110 entries from 16 countries. The winner was reported in the blog as it featured a women's international between Wales and Italy.

To enter the competition photographers must email a jpeg of no less than 300 dpi of their chosen photograph to dominic.rumbles@irb.com or send a 15” x 12” print to Dominic Rumbles, Communications Manager, International Rugby Board, Huguenot House, 35-38 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, by no later than August 8 2008.

So if you know any photographers you might mention it to them?

U15 Player of the Year

The U15 Player of the Year, Laura, was not able to be with us at the Awards evening last Saturday but it was great to see her at training tonight and Wonky took the opportunity to present her with the trophy -

Well done, Laura!

Be prepared for a whole new ball game next season

The IRB have announce that some of the new Experimental Laws (ELVs) will be introduced next year for an experimental 12-month period from 1st August 2008 - so from the start of next season - and for all levels of the game. There is nothing in any annoucements to indicate that the junior or female game will be exempt.

There is going to be significant changes in many parts of the game - and a degree of chaos I suspect at our level as we come across referees who know about the changes and ones who do not!

Not all of the 23 proposals are being trialed worldwide as the nothern hemisphere unions rejected any ELVs sanctions that reduced to free kicks from penalty kicks being tried out in the non-elite game. However, 13 rule changes will be in effect, and will apply to all:

Assistant Referees

• Assistant Referees can assist referees in any manner required when appointed by a match organiser [other than a change of title this does not actually change much]

Posts and flags around the field

• The corner posts are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when a ball is grounded against the post [If you knock the corner flag out while scoring it will now be a try, unless you actually step over the touchline as well. Means that we may as well get rid of the flags...]

Lineout and throw

• If a team puts the ball back into their own 22 and the ball is subsequently kicked directly into touch there is no gain of ground [This means that you will no longer be able to run back into your 22, or pass back, so as to be able to kick the ball out on the full. In practice this is not something that we ever do].
• A quick throw may be thrown in straight or towards the throwing team's own goal line
  There is no restriction on the number of players who can participate in the lineout from either side (minimum of two) [Again not hugely relevent as we have never taken a quick throw in our entire history, and probably would not go in for 14-player lineouts]
• The receiver in a lineout must stand 2 metres back from the lineout [Currently the scrum-half can stand as close as they like]
• The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball may stand in the area between the 5 metre line and touch line but must be 2 metres away from the lineout [Ditto. Unlikely to make much difference as only Hannah from Welwyn has taken advantage of the old law by presurising the thrower]
• Lineout players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in [In the junior game this was already allowed]
• The lifting of lineout jumpers is permitted [Effectively a restatement of current position]

Maul

• Players are able to defend a maul by pulling it down [The effect of this cannot be underestimated - and it is something that we will need to work on (like how to do it - safely). Potentially quite dangerous, it does mean that driving mauls will be a thing of the past. A pity as we've always been quite good at them.]
• Remove reference in Law to heads and shoulders not to be lower than hips [Again this has an effect on safety - heads below hips must be dangerous. Referees will hopefully still have safety in mind in the junior game]

Scrum

• Introduction of an offside line five metres behind the hindmost feet of the scrum [No longer can the defending team come up to the backfoot. But half the time you forget anyway so this may be academic, but still an important tactical change]
• Scrum must be in close proximity to the scrum (as present Law) or must retreat five metres [Again I cannot see that this will affect our playing style]

There are also some extra changes for "elite Northern Hemisphere competitions" (presumably internationals, premiership etc, but clearly not relevent to us). These will include - for all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate, and Law 10 (Foul Play) - that the sanction will be a Free Kick instead of a Penalty. This may cause confusion as the game you watch on TV may well be noticably different to the one you play.

RFUW National 10s at Lichfield

This Sunday - May 4th - we are playing in the RFUW National 10s finals at Lichfield RUFC. The timetable for the day is as follows :

8.50 am : Meet at Letchworth club
9.00 am : Depart to Lichfield RUFC
11.00 am : Meet at Lichfield RUFC
11.15 am : Registration
12.15 pm : First games kick off

This year we have to inform the RFUW during this week of all the players who will be taking part at Lichfield (rather than on arrival at the tournament as we have in the past).

Can you please confirm your availability to Simon or Mike as soon as possible so that we can supply the information to the RFUW on time.

Lichfield RUFC is, Simon will be pleased to know, much easier to find than Mellish RFC and is somewhat nearer. According to the AA, it is 104 miles to Lichfield and the expected journey time is 2 hours. The club address is :

Lichfield RUFC, Cooke Fields, Tamworth Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS14 9JE.

If anyone is planning to drive straight to Lichfield, without calling in at the Letchworth club, can they please let Simon or Mike know.

Lost in Visualisation, too?

Anyone who has ever taken photos at a function like the Awards evening knows how easy it is to get nothing even slightly recognisable in the camera. If they tried using a telephoto lens, they will tell you just how difficult it is - people move about, stand up at the wrong moment, look in the wrong direction; the camera hunts about trying to autofocus in the dim light and the flash takes an age to fire ... and then there's the 'Guinness' factor. Somehow, the more of the wonder stout one imbibes, the better the pics look on the camera ... and the worse they look the next day! That is exactly how I view these efforts.

Firstly, I present a picture of the two Daves exchanging my jacket for a club shirt which was kindly presented to me by Chairman Dave for helping out with running the girls section. Meanwhile Coach Dave, whose hand can be seen over Chairman Dave's left shoulder, is grasping my jacket (containing wallet, car keys, etc) * ...

Dave Rae presents the 'Most Improved Player' trophy to Georgie :

and Nikki gets the 'Player of the Year' trophy from Coaches Dave and Simon (who appears to be interviewing her) and Chairman Dave :

... only to find, as John reported in 'Lost in Translation', that the trophy appeared to be intended for someone else :

Anyway, she seemed happy enough about it :

... though others seemed to be feeling the after-effects of the previous night's party ...

... or is Muddy practicing for the National Gurning Championships?

As mentioned by John in his 'Lost in Translation' article about the Awards evening, Katie's reaction to being asked to get her poor old dad a drink was not as one might expect from a well-educated young lady ....

... and that in front of such impressionable people too ...

I know haw you feel, Dave, there are some friends that are just an embarassment, aren't there? After all, by the look of this last photo, you really should know ....

* The more discerning amongst you may have realised that, in all probability, I did not actually take the first picture. Heather did ... which just goes to show that there is also a powerful orange juice factor at work on such occasions!

Another light goes out...

Far be it for me to publish unsubstantiated rumour (who said "like you do anything else"?) but it was a great pity to hear that our good friends at Westcliff may not be playing next year. We knew that, with no U15s to reinforce their U18 squad, that they would probably have to fold after 2008/9, but to hear that they may have to end things a season early is a great shame.

They are not, unfortunately, alone and in all honesty unless we can attract in a good half-dozen new faces next season we too may have similar problems come 2009/10 (though it is always worth remembering that we started in September 2004 with fewer players than we know we will have September 2009 so there is reason to be optimistic). It is therefore maybe worth asking where its all gone wrong (I say "wrong" because the collapse in the number of teams playing regular fixtures over the past 2-3 years is hardly indicative of something going "right").

Let's begin with a a list of teams we have played but who have now disppeared, at least as independent entities. Off the top of my head...

• Milton Keynes (now part of Bucks Jesters)
• Aylesbury (ditto)
• Hemel Hempsted
• Bishops Stortford
• Stevenage (revivals announced annually, but nothing ever seems to happen)
• Cheshunt
• Fullerians
• Uttlesford
• Rochford/Basildon (obviously clustered now, but no longer independent entities)
• Paviours (now in a cluster)

Thats ten teams we could have had fixtures with in 2004 or 2005 who we cannot now play, replaced with - at best - three cluster teams, so a net loss of seven. And as all of them had full teams at at least one age band that is also a net loss of at least eighty players (12 x 7). With Westcliff added the loss become eight sides and approaching 100 girls out of the game.

The remaining clubs are indeed stronger teams - Basford are a better side than either Basildon or Rochford were, Bucks Jesters are probably stronger than Milton Keynes or Aylebury - but is that the point of club rugby? Surely the purpose at this level is participation not elitism? That should be what the county or regional system is for.

In fact what we are getting close to are clubs that are in fact county sides in everything but name. Bucks Jesters presumably is Bucks, and with 19 players in the squad Reading is Berkshire. Where will Essex get girls next year except from Basford? How many non-Saracens play for Middlesex? Or non-Leos play for Yorkshire? I could go on - Hertfordshire maybe the one major exception because it has significant contributions from more than one club!

A few strong teams do not make a strong game. Without a local club, where will girls at Hemel or Uttlesford, Milton Keynes or Cheshunt learn the game - or even know that it is an option? Furthermore in 2004 you could learn - you could pick games against sides of different strengths. In 2004 we began with three games against MK, Hemel and Stevenage before we took on the might of Welwyn. Would we be here today if Welwyn had been the first, and indeed only, side we could have played in the county? What is it like now when your first "club" game sees you up against a county team (or stronger!) wearing club shirts? No trainer pool like in 2004 - its sink or swim!

Whose fault is this? I'm not sure that that matters. You could say that RFUW were not prepared for the explosion in interest after the World Cup, and were too slow to adapt their structures to support the growth, but in reality that is unfair because they are a tiny organisation with minicule funding that have to worry about the game at all levels, right up to and including internationals. They did what they could with the resources they had, but it was a tidal wave they faced.

I will say, though, that I am not sure that clustering works - at least in the sense of growing the game or forestalling its contraction. It gets current girls games, yes, but the "cluster" seems to inevitably become the "club", risking its links with the communities from the smaller participants or clubs where the cluster does not play. And once the girls in that cluster leave the age band..? It will be interesting to see how Vincent's Suffolk "all-stars" avoid this problem next season. I am also not sure what the alternative is, within the current system anyway.

Because while the RFU and RFUW remain separate bodies, and while the RFU remain responsible for all U12 rugby, I cannot see anything changing. There is no incentive whatsoever for any club that does not have a girls section (ie. over 90% of them) to do anything to recruit girls, or do anything to adapt their coaching practices to retain those that may come along (even simple stuff like not calling the team "boys", let alone the more subtle differences and understanding required) because ultimately the RFU and the clubs in its membership (and, from what one hears, many CBs) are only responsbile for and interested in boys' and men's rugby. And you cannot blame them - why pour your resources into a talented girl who cannot play for you after she is 12, let alone play for your colts or adult sides?

One thought though. On the continent - indeed across most of the world - the main game is not 15-a-side rugby, but sevens. The former is obviously preferable, but I wonder if we had more opportunities for clubs to play in small-sided competitions like sevens spread throughout the season (say one every four-six weeks or so rather than packed all together in April and May) we might be able to keep more clubs playing as clubs? Do we have to be honest, grasp the nettle, and see the world as it is rather than how we might want it to be? Better to have a girl playing sevens than not playing at all...

Lost in translation? Awards night 2008

What are the main memories about last night's Awards Evening? Hayley pursued by two entire boys rugby teams, congering around the marquee? Katie saying she'll buy her dad a drink... if she can find his wallet? Seeing the whites of Wonky's eyes (ie. where the sunglasses had been)?

However, perhaps the most memorable part of the evening was the climax to the awards. We'd had the boys teams do their stuff, the U15 award had gone to Laura (unfortunately absent due to her nan's illness - our best wishes to them), and then came the climax of the ceremony - the girls U18 awards.

First up came the players' player - this year going to Emily Vivian, a player whose potential and leadership abilities have been noticed by county coaches in the past and, with so many girls moving out of the age band next season, could have a real chance of county or even regional representation next season.

Second was most improved, deservedly going to Georgie Brinkley, totally new to the game in January who, while still a bit lost when it comes to positioning, when defending tackles like... well, like Nim Parnell reincarnated. In fact there are quite a few resemblances between Georgie and her illustrious predecessor, both of whom seem to be able to tackle with textbook precision completely naturally. Over Nim's three seasons she grew from a quiet young girl to become one of the most confident and feared defensive tacklers in the East and East Midlands - victims (there is no better word) often ending up in heaps on the touchline (and potential victims doing their level best to avoid her!). Georgie has the potential to equal Nim's achievements, and maybe even exceed them.

And so to the final award. Now, it has to be said that the awards themselves are arranged and sponsored by Dave Sharp - Ruby's dad - and it would be interesting to know quite how much liquid refreshment he has been consuming because something clearly got a bit garbelled, if not totally lost, in translation etween Mike and Dave, and Dave an the engraver - because the winner of the girls' player of the year for 2007/8 was (apparently)... Nichi Alcah.

Who? Well, try saying the words "Nikki Alcock" after you've had a few (as they say)...

That's my theory, anyway. Its that or Dave has handwriting even worse than mine! Perhaps he missed his calling in the medical profession - Nichi-Alcah does sound a bit like a respiratory disease!

But seriously, for sheer dedication alone Nikki Alcock deserved the award, not only spending more hours at the club than anyone else (evidenced by her lone training session in the snow a few weeks ago!), but also because she is a hugely versitile player having now played in just about every postition over the years other than maybe front row(?). A bit tall maybe now for a 9, she has proved to be very effective this season at 10 and centre, speed and strength seeing her rack up a fair few points for the team. Nikki - like Emily also at the bottom of the band - is another player who could benefit now from the departure of girls at county and regional level next season... if she wanted to take the opportunity.

In fact it is interesting to note that all three awards went to girls with another two seasons ahead of them. It shows that we have players with some real potential at the club - these girls can only get better, and next season could prove to be very interesting indeed.

• Details of all award winners, past and present, can be found in the Hall of Fame.

Calling U15s: you can play at Herts 7s as well!

It seems unlikely now that Ampthill will be entering the Herts 7s, but any of our U15s who want to take part in (possibly) the best day of rugby of the season need not feel left out because the organisers - Tabard - are looking to put together a "Barbarian" team composed of girls like our happy few.

So, do you want to play in the Sevens on 18th May? It won't cost you anything, and we can arrange to get you down to Tabard with the U18s if you need transport. Being part of a Barbarian team does not mean that you will be in a weak side - the first Herts 7s was won by a Barbarian team, and Laura will remember joining a similar team for a tournament in Beckenham a season or so back... and reaching the final (which meant that the elder girls, who had been knocked out, had to wait for her to finish!).

If you are interested PLEASE let me or Mike or Simon know as soon as possible so that we can pass your name on to the organisers.

Winners elsewhere in the club

We train at different times to virtually everyone else in the club, rarely play the same opposition, take part in totally different tournaments to a radically different calendar and run by a different governing body.

Its therefore not surprising that there are times when we live in our own little world and rather forget that we are part of a larger club.

We will find out a lot more about what everyone else has been up to tomorrow, but a special word of congratulations is due to the boys U15s - county champions "against the odds" in what sounds like a pulsating 6-5 win over Old Albanians last weekend. Well done, lads!

• Oh, and our performance in the tens did get a mention in The Comet this week. I must admit that I missed it initially, but its there. Look carefully. Bottom left-hand corner of page 76. Four lines long -under the three paragraph report and photograph about Datchworth Under 7s. I wonder how much coverage they'd give us if we won the thing?
  

Rugby goes Hollywood

Amazing but true - Hollywood has made a rugby movie. Forever Strong is due to open in the USA in the Autumn (here - who knows, but we get loads of crummy baseball and gridiron films so one assumes British distributors will pick it up) and is apparently based on the true story of a very successful US college team. The Hollywood schmaltz is added through "a talented-but-troubled rugby player" who "must play against the team his father coaches at the national championship", but despite that- going by the preview below - it may turn out to be passably watchable.

If you care about your game, this really does matter...

The proposed (and ever so slightly controversial) changes to the the laws known as the ELVs - the Experimental Law Variations - have been mentioned on the blog in the past. These rule changes are more than a boring technical matter only likely to be of interest to Joe and referees - many knowledgeable followers of the game say that these will make fundamental changes to the way the game is played.

These concerns are even being expressed by the RFU. Chief Executive Francis Baron has said: "We have a number of concerns about the ELVs and the proposed process that is being followed regarding their introduction."

Because of this the RFU are - perhaps uniquely in a situation like this - consulting everyone involved in the game at every level - including you. The RFU has compiled an online questionnaire and are "urging everyone with an interest in the future of our game to go to www.rfusurvey.co.uk and spend ten minutes completing the questionnaire so we can paint as accurate a picture as possible of people's views in England when the matter comes up for debate at the IRB in May."

So - what are these changes? Well, there are a fair few and the IRB have produced a summary, so maybe its worth highlighting some.

Some are a bit trivial, like touch-judges becoming "assistant referees". One is tempted to ask quite why this is deemed necessary, or more to the point why the heck rugby would be aiming to ape football, but there are bigger matters of concern... and the touchline is due to become a pretty crowded place (as we shall see later) so maybe the TJs need a higher profile?

So let's look elsewhere. Here's a good one...

Corner post, and post at corner of touch in goal and dead ball line not considered to be touch in goal unless the ball is grounded against the post.

This means that if you hit the corner flag on the tryline when scoring a try you will no longer be considered to be in touch. Instead you will only be in touch if you actually put a foot over the line. So a reasonably obvious indicator will be replaced with something that will require a TV replay, or in other words something that will lead to endless arguments at our level. Nice one.

Are you a forward (and especially a prop)? Well, looks like you could become close to unemployed as a whole raft of offences that previously resulted in scrums (or even penalties) will now become free kicks. These include...

• Line-out throws that are not straight
• Ball unplayable (ie. not emerging) from a ruck or maul
• Offences at kick-offs or restarts (ie. the ball not going 10m)
• All other offences (other than offside, not entering through the gate, and
  Foul Play).

Quite a few new offside lines appear. The scrum half and non-throwing hooker at a line out would have to stand 2m back, and the defending side at a scrum will now have to stand 5m back. In some drafts these extra lines will be patrolled by "flag judges" (cue hilarity as FJs and TJs - sorry ARs - collide while running different directions).

But all this pales into insignificance when compared with the next two belters....

• Players on their feet may handle the ball in the ruck.
• Defending players can pull down the maul.

Yes - you did read that right. Just think about what this means (again, especially if you are a forward) - essentially no more mauls, and an end to rucks too - at least as we know them.

So... this is important. It matters. And not just if you are a prop (who should now be considered to be on the endangered species list). You do not have to be a genius to read between the lines and see that the RFU is not exactly supporting all this and is looking to you to give them evidence to show that the games at large does not want the changes either. So spare a bit of time and follow the link

Training on Thursday 24th April

Please remember that training starts at 5.45pm on Thursday (... and don't forget your money for the Awards Evening tickets!)

National 10s date change confirmed

The RFUW have confirmed that the National 10s tournament will take place at Lichfield RFC on Sunday 4th May (rather than Monday 5th May as previously stated).

I'm sorry for any inconvenience that this change brings but, as it is a change to the date stated on the entry forms, competition rules and RFUW March newsletter, and it doesn't appear at all on the RFUW calendar, we were not in a position to know that the RFUW would suddenly impose such a change on us.

However, you will be pleased to know that there is no change to the RFUW National 7s which are confirmed for Saturday, 24th May as previously advised.

Presentation Evening

This Saturday it is the annual awards evening for the junior sections of the club including the girls. It's a great night for all the coaches, players, their families and friends with food and a disco included in the modest price of £5.

Tickets are available from Katie or Nikki so please remember to bring your money along on Thursday!

Divisional 10s - just a few more pics!

I've dug out a few more pics from the tournament at Mellish RFC that I thought you might like to see. We start with Hayley's acrobatics -

Sasha opens the scoring against Melbourne -

Nikki looking determined -

Hayley gets Letchworth's second try -

and Nikki gets the third while Carla and Eleanor cheer her on -

The injured heroines -

The rain got so bad that some people became desperate for any sort of head protection -

and, finally, Simon explains how he persuaded the organisers that he was an U18 girl .....

Those who saw him on Ladies night will know how plausible such a suggestion might seem!

Results summary :

Melbourne 5 Letchworth 17

Letchworth scorers :

Tries : Sasha, Hayley, Nikki

Conversion : Sasha

Kettering 7 Letchworth 10

Letchworth scorers :

Tries : Sasha, Hayley

Newbold 12 Letchworth 12

Letchworth scorers :

Tries : Sasha, Hayley

Conversion : Sasha

Old Leamintonian Comets 5 Letchworth 7

Letchworth scorers :

Try : Jess

Conversion : Sasha

Worcester 17 Letchworth 0

National 10s line-up confirmed

The teams at National 10s will be....

• Darlington Mowden Park
• Letchworth
• Reading
• Tynedale
• Wimborne
• Worcester

Rather tasty company I think you will agree. Some big names there for a big day.

The only slight confusion now is which day as RFUW have written to me saying the 4th (Sunday), when we - plus Uncle Tom Cobley at Mellish - thought the finals were on the 5th, what with the senior 10s being on the 4th (presumably at the same place). While rubbing shoulders with the cream of adult women's rugby would be a bonus, how much room is there at Lichfield?

• It begins to look as if this was all an error on the entry form. Joe and Phil have said that they recall the senior and junior tens being played on the same day last year, so its quite possible - even likely - that they will be this year, and that the date will be the 4th... despite earlier information to the contrary.
  
• Actually it now increasingly looks like a... well, use an appropriate adjective of your own because checking back we discover that the entry form AND the competition rules (indeed every bit of paper we were sent) says 5th May. In fact the only thing that says the 4th is the fabled RFUW calendar... which does not actually include the U18 tens competition at all (at least not in May), only the senior tens. Admittedly this may all be academic being as presumably RFUW haven't booked the ground for the 5th.

Midlands 10s in pictures

Phil has captured the excitment of today's 10s with 43 pictures from the five games, all of which can now be found on the Threlfall Achive, either as thumbnails or a slideshow. Relive the day, and watch how Randy's kit (above) gradually changes colour...

Players and coaches celebrate qualification for the RFUW National 10s

The Letchworth Girls with their runners-up medals at the RFUW Midlands Divisional 10s :

Many thanks to Mellish RFC for a great tournament and congratulations to Worcester RFC for a deserved victory.

Big surprise from Southern Tens...

As revealed in a reply to a post below, and much to the disappointment of Randy (at the very least), we will be carrying the flag of Hertfordshire rugby alone this year at the Tens Finals in Lichfield.

Why? Because the qualifiers from Petersfield are Wimborne... and Reading.

Clearly last week's practice session in Reading had a dramatic effect with all three of us making it into the finals - making last week's rain-sodden affair possibly the most successful warm-up session in rugby history!

No news yet from the north, but as I cannot find any northern club that has updated its website in the past year, let alone last few hours, we may have to rely on RFUW for these results.

Or just wait to see who turns up at Lichfield...

Worcester 17, Letchworth 0

A brave final game with some very tired girls - but in the end we're still through!

Into the final

Worcester are running in an easy win over Kettering, so our game with them - the last of the day - will be the final... but we are both off to Lichfield on 5th May!

The big one

With Stourbridge withdrawing a win over Old Leamingtonians could be enough to see us through... And an early try from Jess proved enough for another 7-5 win. Picture shows Sasha making the cruicial conversion.

Caption competion no. 2

Halfway and unbeaten

Carla okay but will not play again today.

Worcester look strong - but we play them last. Old Leamingtonians next, then Stourbridge.

Match 3: Draw v Newbold

Ht: 7-0 (T:Sasha). Letchworth the stronger side but needed to makd it count.

Newbold level early in second half, though several girls say the scorer went dead. But there was no doubt about their second try.

A knockon at the restart then lets Hayley in. 12-12

FT: Letchworth 10, Kettering 7

Some desparate defence results in a win marred by an injury to Carla , who landed on an opponent`s studs with her back. Soon up when the ambvlance came and being checked. Try and match saving tackle!

Match 2: Letchworth v Kettering

HT: 10-0 to Letchworth, tries from Hayley and Sasha.

Match 1 (of 6!): Letchworth 17, Melbourne 5

Tries from Sasha, Hayley and Nikki eventually see off the Derbyshire challenge.

Its wet and cold - must be tens!

This is a bit of a test posting live with pictures from the touchline of the Midlands regional 10s at Mellish in Nottingham. All here on time except Simon who is lost on the Nottingham ring road. Slight confusion as to who or how many teams here - 6 or 7 - but we are playing Melbourne (from Derbyshire) first at 11.15. Stay tuned!

Front page news.. eventually

A big surprise is dropping on the doormat of homes across the area - Katie has made the front page of this week's Comet (with Niki, Jess and Georgie in the background).

One of the main reasons for it being such a big surprise is that its not exactly a new story. Indeed our much loved local rag - not always noted for its speed in publishing news (or should that be "olds"?) - has surpassed itself by headlining an event that happened six weeks ago! Still, they have done a great job of pretending (or at least giving the impression) that it happened it last week (they didn't go on that journalism course for nothing!) and you can hardly compain about the publicity it gives us.

Meanwhile - and getting back to the present - its a 7.30 meet at the club on Sunday for the tens in Mellish RFC in Nottingham (directions here). Sounds like our player numbers may be a bit tight for the day (what with a couple of injuries from last week and various exam considerations) so its all hands to the pumps, and a good time to avoid bouncy castle, chocolate bars, rabbit holes, and any of the other interesting and unusual ways in which we have lost players through off-pitch injuries in the past!