Letchworth Girls' Hall of Fame

Representative honours and other awards gained by girls while members of Letchworth Garden City RFC (honours gained before joining Letchworth are not included):

2003-04

U14s:

North Hertfordshire:

Katie Alcock; Nichola Birch; Hannah Clemmens; Hayley Guilder; Mel Hobbs; Ruby Sharp

End of season award

Player of the year

Ruby Sharp

2004-05

U14s:

North Hertfordshire

Nikki Alcock; Hayley Aldridge; Hannah Clemmens; Mel Hobbs; Sophie Lane; Natalie Threlfall

East Region

Nichola Birch; Hayley Guilder; Carla Kelly; Ruby Sharp

East Region Player of the Year

Hayley Guilder

End of season awards

Player of the year

Hayley Guilder

Most Improved

Nikki Alcock

Players' player

Ruby Sharp

U17s:

End of season awards

Player of the year

Nim Parnell

Most Improved

Jade Randfield

Players' player

Katie Alcock

2005-06

U11s:

North Hertfordshire

Philippa Theobold-Roe

U14s:

Hertfordshire

Nikki Alcock; Sophie Lythgoe; Jess Robinson; Natalie Threlfall; Emily Vivian; Laura Watson

East Region

Nikki Alcock; Natalie Threlfall; Emily Vivian

End of season awards

Player of the year

Natalie Threlfall

Most Improved

Jess Robinson

Players' player

Nikki Alcock

U17s:

Hertfordshire

Hayley Guilder; Naomi Parnell. (VIIs only Nichola Birch; Mel Hobbs; Rosie Randall; Chloe Schipani)

East Region

Sasha Acheson; Hayley Guilder; Carla Kelly

RFUW Performance Camp (PDA)

Sasha Acheson; Hayley Guilder

End of season awards

Player of the year

Hayley Guilder

Most Improved

Mel Hobbs

Players' player

Katie Alcock

2006-07

U11s:

North Hertfordshire

Philippa Theobold-Roe

U14s:

East Midlands County

Samantha Theobold-Roe

Hertfordshire

Hayley Aldridge; Laura Wennington

End of season awards

Player of the year

Vicky Wood

Most Improved

Samantha Theobold-Roe

Players' player

Anna Randall

U17s:

East Midlands County

Fern Glenister

Eastern Counties

Sasha Acheson

Hertfordshire

Katie Alcock, Steph Crome, Hayley Guilder; Naomi Parnell; Rosie Randfield; Natalie Threlfall; Laura Watson. Also Emily Vivian (captain, Herts Barbarians).

East Region

Sasha Acheson, Hayley Guilder, Naomi Parnell

East Midlands Region

Fern Glenister

RFUW High Performance Academy (HPA)

Sasha Acheson, Hayley Guilder

RFUW Talent Development Group (TDG)

Sasha Acheson

End of season awards

Player of the year

Jess Robinson

Most Improved

Rosie Randall

Players' player

Carla Kelly

2007-08

U15s

End of season awards

Player of the year

Laura Wennington

U18s:

East Midlands County

Fern Glenister

Eastern Counties

Sasha Acheson

Hertfordshire

Katie Alcock, Hayley Guilder; Charlie Hughes, Jess Robinson, Emily Vivian, Laura Watson

East Region

Sasha Acheson, Hayley Guilder

RFUW High Performance Academy (HPA)

Sasha Acheson, Hayley Guilder

Herts Sports Awards

Coach of the year

Joe Randall (runner up)

End of season awards

Player of the year

Nikki Alcock

Most Improved

Georgie Brinkley

Players' player

Emily Vivian

2008-09

U15s:

End of season awards

Player of the year

Ellah Hughes

Most Improved

Jade Cooper

Players' player

Sydney Gregson

U18s:

Eastern Counties

Sasha Acheson

Hertfordshire

Nikki Alcock, Hayley Guilder, Charlie Hughes, Eleanor Morris, Jess Robinson, Natalie Threlfall, Emily Vivian, Laura Watson

East Region

Sasha Acheson, Jess Robinson

London North TDG

Hayley Guilder

Herts Sports Awards

Young Community Volunteer

Katie Alcock (runner up)

Volunteer of the Year (Under 21)

Natalie Threlfall (Commended)

RFUW High Performance Academy (HPA)

Jess Robinson

End of season awards

Player of the year

Nikki Alcock

Most Improved

Jess Robinson

Players' player

Natalie Threlfall

Seniors:

East Region

Hayley Guilder

U20s:

England

Final trial

Hayley Guilder, Sasha Acheson

National Squad

Sasha Acheson

England v Wales, and Nations Cup

Sasha Acheson, Lizzel Heather

2009-10

U15s

Hertfordshire

Sydney Gregson, Ellah Hughes

East Region

Sydney Gregson, Ellah Hughes

End of season awards

Player of the year

 Sydney Gregson

Most Improved

Florrie Jones

Players' player

Ellah Hughes

U18s:

Hertfordshire

Chloe Baker, Laura Barnard, Jess Robinson, Natalie Threlfall

East Region

Chloe Baker, Jess Robinson

End of season awards

Player of the year

 Jess Robinson

Most Improved

Jade Cooper

Players' player

Nikki Alcock

Three more of our U17s win county selection

The names of the Hertfordshire's backs have now been announced and two more of our girls have been selected.

• Rosie Randfield
• Natalie Threlfall

... and there may be more yet as there is still room for other names to be added from those who couldn't make trials.

But congratulations to Rosie and Natalie. Rosie in particular played out of her socks last Sunday (see above!) and deserves recognition for the effort she put in, while Natalie (racing away to score in typical style, below) is one of only five girls from last season county U14s to make this season's county U17s.

As two of those are from Letchworth perhaps congratulations should also go to Rachel for the quality of her training last season. In fact - on a related theme - 75% of Rachel's county U14s came back for more this season, compared with only 59% of last year's county U17s. Draw whatever conclusions you see fit...

It also means that we have gone from having two girls in the U17 squad last season to five this time round!

And the third county cap? Sasha Acheson - who we hear may well be the captain of the newly-formed Eastern Counties U17s.

U17: Training, Milton Keynes and Beckenham

Sorry lots to cover here. Its all very important so please make sure you read it all.

Training:
Sunday please meet 10:15 so that we can start by 10:30!!! The next few training sessions (Sunday and Wednesday) are vital as we are now starting to finalise combinations ahead of our first fixtures. Remember the only way you can stake your place for a starting place is by showing us what you can do at training. As usual please let me know if you cant attend by return email.

Oct 1st Away to Milton Keynes:
John has been very efficient and has already posted directions below!!!!!!!
Times to be confirmed next week. It is unlikely we will be able to meet at the club in the morning as the mini's have a tournament. Meet place that morning is likely to be the back of Sainsburys car park, or somewhere similar. Again this will be confirmed next week.

This is a hugely important fixture as it is our one and only chance to test our game plan in a match situation before going to Beckenham on the 8th.

Please let me know ASAP if you cant attend this fixture as we are now starting to finalise team plans and combinations. If you are struggling with lifts please let myself or John know I'm sure we will be able to sort something out.

Oct 8th Away at Beckenham tournament:
Directions should be finding there way onto this blog early next week. No leave time as yet but likely to be an early start. Meet time at Beckenham most probably to be 10:00 so I hope all your alarm clocks are working.

I hope those that were at the county trials on Sunday realise how lucky we are to have the numbers and the quality we do in our squad and we should go to Beckenham with high hopes. The tournamnet itself is hugely important as it is our first chance to compete for some silverware this season and show evrybody else what we're made of.
Again please let me know ASAP if you cant attend this tournament as we again are starting to finalise the likely strating team. We hope to take all of you in the squad as there are 19 of you and the max. squad size is 20.

Registration:
For those of you that are still yet to register please email me for a membership form.
daddyrandall@hotmail.co.uk
Membership must be paid before the MK game otherwise you will not be able to be play.
By my reconing thee are still 6 to register. If you are unsure wether you have registered please ask dont asume you have.

Finally I send the my personal congratulations to the three forwards that were announced today that have made the herts county squad. Well done to Nim, Hayley and Laura. Backs have yet to be announced so keep your fingers crossed.

Sorry about the volume of information see you all sunday
Regards
Joe

Milton Keynes, 1st October: Directions

We are playing at Milton Keynes Rugby Club this season (not at the school as last year) - address Field Lane, Greenleys, Milton Keynes MK12 6AZ (for those with SatNav). For those lacking high-tech gizmos the directions are as follows:

Starting from the M1 Junction 13 (about three miles west of Ampthill):

• Roundabout 3rd exit, A421 to Milton Keynes
• Stay on A421 (V8 Standing Way) past hospital
• Turn right at Bleak Hall roundabout onto V6 (Grafton Street)
• Turn left onto H2 at Bradville roundabout
• Turn right onto V5 (Great Monks Street) towards Greenleys
• 2nd left into Field Lane

(Click on the map for a bigger image)

The distance from Letchworth is about 38 miles, with an estimated journey time of 50 minutes. Kick-off time is 1pm might be reasonably assumed. As the club will be a bit busy on Sunday we will meet at Sainsburys, aiming to leave at c11.15

Three forwards in the county squad

The selections for the backs have yet to be announced, but the names of 13 forwards chosen for the U17 county squad have been announced... and three Letchworth names are included:

• Hayley Guilder
• Naomi Parnell
• Laura Watson

So well done to those three - and particular congratulations to Laura as one of only two forwards from last season's U14 county squad who have been selected for this season's U17s. All three will now have county training sessions on three Wednesday evenings (including this coming Wednesday) in addition to the development days in October and November. Details are here.

For the other seven of you it is still intended to form a county "B" squad - so the development Sundays in October and November will still be important.

The main reason for the delay in announcing the names of the backs is that not all of them were there last Sunday - in particular Katie and Steph, who the county backs coach is intending to see in action shortly.

"The greatest women's rugby match ever"

Or so last Sunday's World Cup Final has been called.

I know we lost, but its still well worth watching - the England forwards were incredible, but the New Zealand backs astounding.

If you'd like to borrow a DVD of the match please let me know, and if you want you own copy to keep give me a blank recordable DVD this weekend.

U17: Training 20th Sept.

A reminder that training is tonight at the new later time of 6:50. We've got lots to go through especially little bits and pieces that myself and John picked up at the weekend. Lets have a good turnout please.

I'll be there setting up from about 6:30 if any of you want to get there really early.

We should finish about 8:10.

Thanks
Joe

Please dont be late!!!!!!

Ahoy! Arrrrr!

Aye, I know it be bit late an all, but I''e bin bit busy and mightily forgaret thaht 'tis Int'rnashnul Talk Like A Pirate Day! Argh!

Clearly such nahn'port'nt day carnt g'bee wiraht bein' marked in some way. So this be it. A-haaaarrrrr!

Anyway - ti' trainin' tomorree, usual times (six of the clock for ye under-f'rteens and se'en for under se'enteens). See 'ee there!

Arrrrrr!!

On the county trials, injuries and "illness"

Well done on everyone who survived the heat of the trials - and the good news is that Natalie's finger is not broken, just bruised. Should be okay by next weekend. And hopefully we'll know soon enough how many of you have been selected (and even if you haven't there should be a game or two for the county 2nd XV, like vs Oxfordshire last year)

Anyway the trial was a pretty useful exercise all in all as it highlighted a few areas we need to work on, several of which Joe mentioned at the end, but one thing we can't do in training is solve one problem that came up. Indeed less a "problem", more a contagious virus which can be chracterised as...

The "Oh my god its Welwyn!" syndrome

The symptoms of this complaint are a tendency to behave as if your boots have been filled with lead and your hands covered by butter-covered concrete whenever someone hoves into view wearing a purple shirt. The total shut down of all higher brain functions also seems to take place in some cases.

Truth is that - while good - they ain't THAT good. At least one of the Welwyn girls yesterday had never, ever played a game of rugby before and half of the rest were last year's U14s. I would actually venture to suggest that had they been wearing different shirts and called themselves "Tunbridge Wells" or something the result might have been a shade different. We might maybe still have lost, but equaly we just might have managed to catch at least one restart and even got into the other half of the field.

However, there is hope. After all we proved in the first game that the we have now finally found a cure to the related problem called "Oh heck its Hertford!".

And if we do sort the former problem out then in March we can maybe look forward to applying the solution to our other remaining complaint - "B!@~ 'ell, its Basildon!".

Basildon close the final fixture window

The final free date in the fixture list is now closed off as on 4th March we will now be playing Basildon (well, Basildon & Rochford as they have combined for the season I gather).

Hopefully this will be at home as they have no objection to travelling - but we still have to check on pitch availability for that day.

World Cup Final LIVE on Sky!

If you have Sky then set your videos / DVDs / whatever - or be prepared for a blearly start to the week - because the World Cup Final between England and New Zealand will be on Sky Sports 3 live from 11.55pm on Sunday night.

So not exactly a huge build-up to the game anticipated being as it starts at midnight, but even so its good to see.

The semi-finals also went out on Sky last night - 24 hours after the matches actually took place, but broadcast "as live" so you saw the entire games. Basically it seems to be the same coverage as the 24.7 internet broadcasts - Sky have not gone to the trouble of actually having reporters out there or anything.

Both teams should be fully up-to-strength and England seem confident that they can steal it. So remember to tune in - could be a memorable night!

Extra fixture for U17s

The final significant hole in the fixture list (in more ways that one) has been filled with the addition of a game away to local friends and rivals - Welwyn - on 17th December.

At present this will be a game for U17s only as Rachel is currently not sure that our new U14s are ready for the sort of challenge that Welwyn can provide!

It may be possible for squeeze one more game into the lists in March - but we'll hold that open for now in case we have to move fixtures due to cup results, or other events.

New county newsletter published

The sixth county newsletter - and the first of the new season - has been published.

The latest edition headlines the trials and development day at Stevenage on 17th, but also includes a summary of the main news items of the summer and a diary of key dates for the season and a contact listing of county coaches and managers.

Also now available is the registration form for the county day. Every player attending the day must arrive with a completed form as it provides important information for the organisers as well as essential parental permissions.

Club vs. County: no contest?

A few of you were loyally suggesting tonight that you wanted to put your club before county or region this season. While that is all very noble, team spirited and so on its worth considering a few points before making the selfless sacrifice.

1. There are no clashes between any county training or match days and anything the club is doing. By taking part in county activities you will miss nothing at club level - not least because all you coaches are, or are likely to be, involved with the county teams so there will be nothing going on at the club on county days!
   
2. Equally with the Region there will only club training on regional days as there will be virtually no-one to play even if we wanted to. Any matches that may be will be inter-county games, like the tournament in Wimbledon last season. So again by going to region you miss nothing at club level.
   
3. Maybe half of last year's county squad are now too old- and not far off a fifth of all the U17s in the county are at Letchworth. So by these numbers alone you need not be concerned about playing in a squad dominated by girls from other clubs - in fact the boot will be firmlyon the other foot
   
4. The awesome performances in training over the past couple of Wednesdays (especially tonight) also means that frankly any or all of you are quite capable of getting selected by county!
   
5. County trials is by way of a "tournament" and you will be playing as Letchworth. Not only will this be a good dry run for Beckenham, but it will be a great opportunity to play other Herts teams, espcially those who do not currently appear on the fixture list.
   
6. Your involvement at county or region means you will play at a higher level, will work with some different coaches, and will come back better players. That clearly happened with those who played at county and regional level last year. And if you are better players the club obviously benefits!
   
7. We also have targets, as a team and club, which are performance related and county/regional selection is a ley part of that. Or in other words the club (and therefore the team) has a major stake in getting as many of you into the county and regional teams as possible!
   
8. If you miss out trialling this year you will risk missing out next year as well. Due to age band changes this season's squads will run on more or less unchanged into next season.

So if you were thinking of not going to county or regional trials this year - think again! In the end we want you to play county and regional rugby. You are ALL quite capable of making that step up, and the club (and you) will benefit far more by your taking part in representative rugby than it ever could will if you stayed away.

Under 17 : Midweek Training time changes from NEXT WEEK

The Under 17s will now train on a Wednesday night starting at 7:00, so please arrive at 6:50. Training will finish at 8:10 so please inform parents pick up is 8:15.

Sorry about all previous confusion.

This training change will take place as off next week the 13th of September.

Training will be at the usual time of 10:30 on Sunday. Please arrive 10mins early. I cant be there but John and Mike will be taking the session, and are likely to cover some of the same stuff we did this evening.

Finally thank you for a brilliant session tonight a lot of good work all round.

Thanks
Joe

Midweek training: U17s time change, U14s no change!

After long discussions and consultations and so on we have now agreed with the rest of the club that the U14s will continue to train from 6pm to 7pm, and the U17s will train from 7pm to 8.10pm, both on Wednesdays.

The boys will be training from 6 to 7.15, so there will be a slight overlap with the U17s - but we'll just be warming up then so it won't be a major issue. The U14s are also currently a small group so until numbers grow again it isn't a major problem.

One benefit from this is that the U17s have the entire training pitch to themselves from 7.15 to 8.00 (or indeed as long as it is wanted!), so although we will be finish 30 minutes later than last season the positives in the end outweigh everything else.

Things are likely to get even more difficult next season... but that is still along way off yet.

How far could rugby take you?

If you are a U17 then about 7,000 miles... or the west coast of the USA to be exact!

If you need an incentive to get into the county or regional team then how about being part of the first ever girls' rugby tour of the USA and Canada?

Today it has been announced that the RFUW have given permission for the official East Region's girls' U18 squad to take visit North America in July 2008. It will be the U18 squad because, as you will remember, age bands change next season. This means that it will effectively be the same as the U17 squad that is selected this season.

Ideas in the ambitious plan includes possible participation in a USA's West Coast championship (to be held in Washington State) or a similar inter-state tournament to be followed by games with at least one Canadian provincial team. The tour will take place in July 2008 as this best co-incides with both the US and Canadian seasons.

And - of course - the first stage in selection for the tour will be the county trials in Stevenage on the 17th - because "closed" regional trails mean that if you are not in a county squad its unlikely you'll make the regional squad.

Why North America? Because girls' rugby is a a BIG thing over there – a quarter of all American rugby players are women, and the attitude to the female game in the USA in particular seems to be hugely positive. East can expect a warm welcome, with plenty of top quality rugby in two different countries.

Clearly there will be a lot to do before then. Such tours are not "free" and there is a great deal of planning to do. But with the better part of two years to plan and fund raise for the trip it should be a event that you will remember forever.

And the first step to getting on that plane is only two weeks away...

As for the U14s the problem we face is that there is not the range of opposition available for the younger age group. This is also a huge step into the unknown, so we need to get it right. And if do and all goes well then we can expect future tours to follow - in both direction. So the intention is that you will get a chance - next time!

Can you spare a minute to write a message to the BBC?

If you check on the BBC sport pages you will find on the main football page (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/default.stm ) there is a permanent link to a permanent index page of news about women's football.

On the main cricket page (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/default.stm) there is ALSO a permanent link to a page of news about women's cricket, and today there is even - highlighted with a photograph - a review of the women's test series. And the same applies to tennis. And golf. In fact I could probably carry on down the list of major sports and in every case where there is significant and separate women's participation there is a permanent link to a permanent page of news about the women's game.

With one exception. Guess which one. I'll give you a clue - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/default.stm

Okay for the period of the women's world cup they have a small index buried in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. But this will disappear when the world cup finishes, thus again wiping all mention of the women's rugby off probably the busiest general rugby news webpage anywhere.

I've written a small note to the BBC to ask quite why this should be, but presumably one moan from one reader won't make much difference. So I wondered if you felt that if the BBC's treatment of your sport (or lack of it) was a shade unfair you might also like to pen something to them - there is a feedback form at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/3701180.stm

Does it matter? Yes! If the BBC (of all people) don't cover the game, who will? Coverage brings in interest which brings in sponsors and funding. It also attracts more players and it also means that people (well, lets be honest here, men) in the game are more likely to (eventually) take the women's game more seriously.

At the moment we are all but invisible - and it shows.

Season begins THIS SUNDAY

The U17s hay have started trainging last weekend but the season officially starts for everyone starts this Sunday at 10.30.

A key part of the morning will be REGISTRATION - full details here but the bottom line is that you need to bring along...

• A parent
• A cheque book (or bank account details)
• Two passport sized photos

Then just point the parent at the clubhouse and then let them get on with lots of lovely form filling.

Meanwhile, 6000 miles away (or so)...

The Women's Rugby World Cup is about to begin!

You'd be forgiven for saying "what World Cup", going by the press coverage (or lack of it) but fact is that at midnight tonight, our time, the England team many of you saw lift the Six Nations title at Old Albanians in March start their World Cup campaign against the USA.

That's a heck of an opponent to draw first up - possibly the strongest opponents in the tournament other New Zealand - it'll give us the best indication yet as to how England will do. New Zealand also have a tricky opener against hosts Canada, who drew their recent two-match series with the USA.

England are also due to take on South Africa (who they beat by over 100 points in 2005) on Monday (9.30pm our time) and then France (who England beat fairly comfortably in Paris in February) in their final pool game on Friday (also midnight our time). Then its the semi-finals the 12th, and - hopefully - the final at midnight on Sunday 17th September (county trials day!).

Anyway - spare a thought for the team tonight. After all, one day it could be you!

PS - Good article in The Times (who actually have a correspondent out there, ex-England cricketer Sarah Potter) and Planet Rugby have a preview as well.

Further coverage of the World Cup will appear on the Herts girls blog.

U17: Training Aug 30th

Training went well last Sunday and there is now a need to already start organising and preparing for Beckenham which is now just over 6 weeks away.

Training is tonight from 6 till 7:30 lets have a good turn out please.

Many Thanks
Joe

Bits & pieces: Beckenham, County trials, Fixture news

A few small items of interest...

• BECKENHAM will be a 15-a-side tournament for U17 teams this year (10 a side for the new U14 event). Well, that is what they are intending - my feeling is that they are a shade optimistic for both age groups and it may on the day be less than that - but what do I know? No news yet on whether the uncontested scrum rule will be in place for U17s (my guess is it will), or the unique "no hand offs" rule (which Nim will recall from last year). Entry now sent off to them - should be a good day as we can look forward to meeting and comparing ourselves with big name teams (like Petersfield) who we only ever normally see at the Nationals.
  
  
• COUNTY TRIALS for U17s are likely to be based around a "tournament", ideally a 10-a-side inter-club event - though I guess extra teams will be made up on the day from smaller combinations or from extra players from larger clubs. Details still to be finalised, but the idea comes from the coaches' feeling that they learn more from watching players actually play than from drills.
  
  U14 trials are likely to be far less formal - for the most part girls keen enough to actually turn up will probably make the "squad". So even if you are new to the game this season it will still be worth going to Stevenage on the 17th September - you'll get to meet girls from other clubs across the county. You can do much more in a bigger group - and as one of the county coaches is our Rachel you'll be well looked after.
  
  
• FIXTURE NEWS. We are likely to be joined by Aylesbury for our fixture at Milton Keynes on 1st October - another team we have never played before. Not a club you hear too much about (not sure they've ever been to the National Sevens, for example), but they have going for a long time so should well prepared - could be interesting.
  
  Attempts are also now being made to squeeze in at least a U17 fixture with Welwyn (given the strength of their U14 team last year we'll probably hold back throwing our new girls into battle with them for a short while!). They have contacted Mike, who does our fixtures, and after the U17s special request on Sunday that we try to get a game Mike is seeing what can be done.
  
  
• NATIONAL KNOCKOUT. Our entry for the U17 competition also went off yesterday - so in about six-eight weeks time we'll see who we get (or indeed where we have to travel to!). Entries do not actually close until 16th October so Rachel is going to see how the U14s develop before making a decision (there is less of a urgency to enter for the U14s as there will be fewer entries anyway).
  
  The entry for Rochford festival should also be in the post (Dave Roberts was sending that off). Both U14 and U17s wil be going to this - and we can expect the usual "crowd" from East Region to be there. Voted (by those who replied to the survey) as the best away fixture of last season!
  

Background reading

There is a limited amount we can ever hope to cover in training. Ideally we were hoping to have a training Sunday in between each fixture this season, but there is so much going on that - as you have seen - this hasn't been entirely possible.

There is midweek training, but not everyone can make that and what you can do once the evenings draw in and it gets colder is limited. One of the main areas we miss out on is basic tactics and strategy, and individual positional coaching for specialist players.

Fortunately one of the coaching websites has now stepped in here ad released an archive of articles that some of you might want to glance through. They are all pretty short - only a page or so - and quiet readable. Certainly captains and anyone playing in key positions (such as scrum halves and fly halves) would do well to glance at the content of "Strategy and tactics". There is a good section on goal kicking too!

And - remembering events near the end of last season - everyone might do well to have a look at a couple of articles entitled "Playing against a side that cheats" (Part 1 and Part 2).

U17 : Season Start

This years Under 17 training starts this Sunday the 27th of August.

Many sides have been back in pre season training for weeks and with such a big squad its time we caught up a bit with our first major tournament just 8 weeks away.

The coaching program is being put in place now all myself and John need is your commitment to trainin. So lets get of to a good start and have a good turnout this Sunday ready to start at 10:30 promt as there is a lot to cover.

Could you please let me know if you cannot attend.

See you all Sunday
Joe

Fixtures 2006/07

Dates for club fixtures or tournaments are in bold, county dates in red, and regional dates in purple. Dates are for both U14s and U17s unless otherwise stated.

AUGUST
27th: U17: training

SEPTEMBER
3rd: Registration and training. (Click here for essential registration information)
10th: Training
17th: County trials (Stevenage)
24th: Training
27th: County U17 training (Sports Village, Hatfield) (Evening)

OCTOBER
1st: Milton Keynes & Aylesbury (A) U17s: 22-19, U14s 5-60
8th: Beckenham Festival (A) U17s: 5th place
15th: County training (St Christopher School)
18th: County U17 training (Sports Village, Hatfield) (Evening)
22nd: Rochford Festival (A) U17s: 1st Place, U14s: 3rd place
29th: Training

NOVEMBER
5th: Sudbury (H) U17: 5-15
12th: Inter-county tournament (Grove RFC, Oxfordshire)
19th: Ampthill (A) U17: 24-10
22nd: County U17 training (Sports Village, Hatfield) (Evening)
26th: National Knockout Cup (South Qualifying)* (U14s at Welwyn, U17s at Saracens) U14s 1st; U17s Postponed (waterlogged pitch)

DECEMBER
3rd: Inter-county tournament (Westcliff)
10th: U14: Training. U17: National Knockout Cup (South Qualifying)(H) Qualifed

17th: Hertford (A)
[24th & 31st: Christmas/New Year's Eve (no training)]

JANUARY
7th: Kettering (at Kettering) U14: W/O; U17: 0-27

14th: Saracens & Sudbury (at Saracens) : U14 (with E Cos) 35-27; U17 Saracens 15-0; Sudbury 0-5.
21st: U14s: Thomas Becket (H) U14 (with E Cos, Maket Harborugh & Kettering): 38-26
28th: Regional trials (Ely RFC)

FEBRUARY:

3rd: England v Scotland (at Old Albanians)

4th: Sudbury & Westcliff (at Sudbury) Lost both by unknown (but not close) scores
11th: Training/Regional training (Culford School, Bury St Edmonds)
18th: Westcliff (A) U17: 19-15
25th: Training (U17s: 9am-10.30)/Regional training (Culford School, Bury St Edmonds)

MARCH
4th: Saracens & Peterborough (H) U14: Lost; U17: 59-10
11th: England v France (at Old Albanians)

Training /Regional training (Culford School, Bury St Edmonds)

18th: Training /East Midlands v East (Aylestone St James)
23rd: U11 tag festival (Hitchin)

25th: National Knockout Cup (South Finals)
U14s: (as "Herts Barbarians") v Cranberleigh , Ellingham & Ringwood, and Thornbury (at Petersfield, Hants) Finished 3rd

U17s : v Ivel, Welwyn and Wimborne (at Camberley, Surrey) Finished 3rd (bt Ivel; lost to Welwyn & Wimbrone)

APRIL
1st: Training /East v North East v Yorkshire (Ely RFC)
4th: U17: "International Festival" v I E Weldon College (Ontario), Aylesbury, Others (H) 17-10 v Weldon; 10-7 v "Barbarians"

[8th: Easter]

13th-16th: Tour to Devon & Cornwall:

14th: Liskeard-Looe (Cornwall) (A) (11.00) 20-17

15th: Exeter Saracens (Devon) (A) 36-24
[15th: National KO Cup Championship play-off (North v South)]
22nd: Training /Regional training (Culford School, Bury St Edmonds)
29th: U14s: Training; U17s: Regional 10s (Aylestone St James) Runners-up

MAY
6th: Training/U14 Regional finals (Rugby School) / U11 tag training
7th (Mon): U17 regional finals (Rugby School)
13th: National 10s (U17) (Lichfield) / Herts Youth Games (U11 girls' tag)
20th: Hertfordshire Sevens (Welwyn)
26th: National Sevens (Leighton Buzzard)

JUNE

30th: Letchworth GC Festival. Possible stall and/or other promotional activities

JULY
8th: Herts "Superteams" (Hatfield)

*The U17s will be entering the National KO Cup as "Letchworth". The U14s contribute to a combined county team ("Herts Barbarians").

Training: Sundays - 10.30 to 12.00, Wednesdays 6.00 to 7.30
Matches: Most home games will kick off at 2pm. Away games will vary!
County trials and training: Sundays - likely to start at 1pm. Wednesdays - TBA
Regional trials and training: TBA - trails are likely to be in morning, trainging in the afternoon

ok so not sure if you have seen these....

some pics that I have found on my pc from last year....






Ok, hope you have all enjoyed the summer break and are ready for training again!
See you soon.
Rach

Watch every match LIVE from the Women's Rugby World Cup

While we await any news about UK TV broadcasts (... long silence ...) , the IRB has announced that it is bringing you will be able to watch every match LIVE or replayed as live from the IRB Women's Rugby World Cup 2006 through the internet.

The tournament, which is being staged in Edmonton, Canada, begins on 31 August and climaxes with the final on 17 September. The Black Ferns of New Zealand are the defending champions but the competition is set to be stiffer than ever.

You can watch a single match LIVE for £2.50. Or you can follow England through their three pool games, LIVE, for £6.50. Access to every single game is also available via a "tournament pass", covering all 30 games, costing £49.99. There are also packages for the semi finals and final.

You can also watch a replay of every match as live, for £1.50. More details at http://www.rwcwomens.com/EN/News/video+home.htm

There will now be a short intermission...

For the next week or so...

• Joe will be in South Africa (on a rugby tour),
• I will be in Cornwall/Devon (Yo- surf's up! Or not, most likely), and
• Rachel will be busy with the play schemes.

So its likely to be a bit quiet around here...

But never mind. The season is barely three weeks away (or sooner for the U17s), so relax, enjoy the sun if you can (may be a bit tricky this weekend) and get ready probably the most exciting season yet!

How does this compare with our posters?

USA Rugby have come up with a recruitment poster - what do you think?. Interesting difference in style to ours - and the RFUWs - efforts.

Main figure on the right looks spookily like our own Hayley A (U14s)!

Got any good pictures from last season?

Then you could win £500 worth of photography equipment, or a Nokia N70 phone, in a competition being run by The Comet.

If you have a copy of this week's see p33 for details. If not basically any picture of "Comet Life" (which includes sport, obviously) can be submitted. Pictures cannot be larger than A4 or 2MG, and should be sent to alan.millard@thecomet.net.

You just need to include details of where and when the picture was taken (and it must have been taken in North Herts), and what camera you used. And obviously you need to include your name and contact details.

Going by just the pictures I've seen there were so many really good, interesting and unusual pictures taken last season that I reckon one of you must stand a really good chance of winning something.

Win the chance to train with England

The BBC are running a competition to give girls the chance to train with the England women's rugby team at their base in Loughborough on 16 August where they will be preparing for the Rugby World Cup in Canada (begins on 31 August). The winners will have lunch with the entire squad before lacing their boots up for a training session with members of the England team.

To win this prize, all you have to do is: explain, in no more than 50 words, why they should choose you to train with the England women's rugby squad. Be as original as possible with your answer, we want something that stands out from the crowd.

Ideally, they would like the winners to have previous rugby experience, but it's not essential. A runner-up will receive a signed England shirt and a bag of rugby goodies.

My thanks to Gill Randall for pointing this out - but act quicky, the closing date is Monday 7 August!!

More details and entry form can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/get_involved/5194002.stm

U17 selection policy

With the exception of the odd Sevens tournament here and there, team selection has never really been an issue in the past. Essentially we have never had more than 15 girls available for any game, so everyone who has ever wanted to play in a given fixture has always been able to. In an ideal world that would still be the case but with a squad of at least 20 - and possibly more - its not always going to be possible.

So how are selections going to be made?

The key thing we will be looking for is reliability. If we select one person ahead of another we rather hope they will turn up, which why Sunday training is particularly important.

All our games are on Sundays, so if you cannot be relied upon to attend training on Sundays then we can only assume that you cannot be relied upon to play either. Such a consideration will come ahead of even matters such as ability - better to select a club-level player who always turns up come rain or shine rather than a county or regional star who has problems getting out of bed some mornings.

Beyond that other factors will be taken into account, including (order of priority):

• Position. We need every position on the field to be filled. If the "vacancy" in the team is for a winger and the choice is between a forward and a back then its reasonably clear who will be picked. Moral - be flexible, try new things. The more positions you can play in the more likely you are to be selected!
  
• Wednesday training. We know that Wednesdays are not ideal for everyone, due to the distance that you may have to travel or other commitments and priorities - not least GCSE, AS level and (next year) A level exams that most of you will face. But at the same time we know who have reasonable excuses like these those who don't. Attendance at Wednesday evening training shows more commitment to the team and to improving your own abilities, and both should be rewarded.
  
• Ability. In general what we primarily aim to do at Letchworth is to try to give an opportunity for as many girls to play as much rugby as possible, regardless of actual playing ability. Apart from the occasional festival or cup game almost our entire season is made up of friendly fixtures where - ultimately - the experience of playing will be remembered long after the actual result has been forgotten. But in the end - if all else is equal - selection is most likely to going to go to the stronger player.

If we do have more than 15 available for a game (or significantly more than the opposition , which ammounts to the same thing) we will try to see if the opponents will allow us to being an "A" and "B" team perhaps, or will allow rolling subs, etc. - but such things can never be guaranteed.

So the more training you attend the more likely you are to play, and furthermore the more likely you are to play in the position that you prefer - because you can be relied upon, because you will show commitment, but also because you will become a better player in that position.

The less training you attend the more likely it is that you will be a reserve or - if you do play - the more likely it is that you will be asked to slot into where a vacancy happens to be rather than where you would want to be.

Calling all Bedfordshire girls (and anyone else qualified to play for counties in addition to Hertfordshire)

Everyone who plays for Letchworth is qualified to play for Hertfordshire, and in addition therefore East Region. However some of you will ALSO be qualified for other counties or regions and - when it comes to trials etc. - you may want to try out for these in addition to, or instead of, Hertfordshire.

Typically the rules for this are not currently written down anywhere, but generally speaking it seems to be accepted that if you live, were born, or attend school outside Hertfordshire you will also be qualified for that county (or counties) as well. So anyone who - say - was born in Essex, lives in Bedfordshire, and goes to school in Cambridgeshire (a not impossible situation) could have some interesting choices in September!

So - a quick summary what this would mean in practice.

BEDFORDSHIRE

County Rugby: Bedfordshire do not have a county side of their own, but combine with Northamptonshire to create "East Midlands County". 2006/7 will be the first year that they have had a county programme for girls, and its all a bit fluid at the moment. It you are interested in playing contact Derek Maybury (the Regional Development Officer) derekmaybury@rfu.com.

**NOTE: On the plus side there are significantly fewer clubs in Beds/Northants so logically there may be less competition for places than for Herts but on negative side it is likely that your trials etc. will be further away.

Regional Rugby: Bedfordshire is in the East Midlands Region - which also includes Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire as well as East Midlands County, and their home games and trials tend to be in Leicestershire (more often than not Coalville). East Midlands are a very strong region - national champions at U14 level last year (East were runners-up).

**NOTE: The one plus is that East Midlands trials may be "open" for Bedfordshire girls - ie. you may not need to be nominated by your county.

ESSEX

County rugby: Essex are a county in their own right, and the most established in the region. Trials for the Essex squad have already begun - they have been tarining since early July, apparently. Most of what they do seems to be based in the Basildon/Westcliff/Rochford area (which is not great surprise). Competition for places in their squads will be as tough as for Hertfordshire.

Regional rugby: Essex are obviously in East Region.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

County rugby: Cambridgeshire come under the new Eastern Counties structure - and they have their own blog which will give you all the information you could need (http://www.easterncounties.girlsrugby.org.uk/)

Regional rugby: Again, part of East Region

ANYWHERE ELSE

If you think you may be qualified for any other county and want to know what you options are, please let me know.

SWITCHING COUNTIES AND REGIONS

Once you have been selected for one county you cannot switch to another part of the structure - so if you were picked by East Midlands County you could not switch to Hertfordshire or attend East Region trials - and visa versa. However there is nothing to stop you attending trials for more than one county (other than the fact that they will probably be at different places on the same day!).

U17 season to start on Sunday 27th August

Full U17 training will now start on Sunday 27th August at 10.30 (until 12.00). We began on the same weekend last season and - despite it also being a Bank Holiday - had a good turnout, so there is no reason why we can't repeat that.

But this season there are even more pressing reasons to start a "week early".

The overall squad will be 50% bigger than it was last season. So in effect its a whole new team with all positions up for grabs. At least two players will be competing for almost every place in the team (only Carla at hooker lacks any obvious competition... at the moment!) and its going to take a while to work out the best combination of players. The first fixture could be as soon as 24th September - so we have very little time!

In addition county trials for the U17s this year are on 17th September. Unless you live in Bedfordshire and are intending to try out for East Mids the Herts county squad is the only gateway to the regional rugby - so its more essential than ever that you are able to make a good impression.

So if you have you heart set on any particular position, or have any ambitions to play for county or region (and hopefully all of you do) then its in you interests to be there.

Full midweek sessions for U17s will also start on 30th August, 6.00-7.30.

*** Note: At this stage it is still intended that the U14s will start on 3rd September. Rachel will be writing to everyone with more details nearer the time. ***

Two more posters now available

"To rugby or not to rugby" and "What's missing - U" are now printed in A5, A4 and A3 sizes. Also still a few "Girls will be girls" left, and I also have some A5 size "Six Nations Winners" posters from RFUW. Probably still a week or so early to start putting these around, but not much longer before we start to build towards September.

If you could use a few posters or have any ideas of contacts who might display a poster or two please get back to me.

The A5 posters are great for the parcel shelf in the back window of a car, by the way!

Start the season at Twickenham?

Would any of you be interested in starting your the new season with a trip to Twickenham?

Details have been announced about the 2006/7 "London Double Header". It will take place at Twickenham on Saturday 2nd September and will include two matches - London Irish vs Harlequins followed by Saracens v London Wasps. There is also pre-match entertainment and a chance to visit the rugby museum where the main exhibition this year is on the history of the women's game. There is also lots of live music and pre-match entertainment.

A few girls have gone down to the last two Double Headers and had a gerat time - so I wondered is any more of you might like to go. If we book as a party would get seats together and we might also get some reduced prices (though it is actually pretty cheap anyway - £20 foir adults, and £10 for juniors, to see two competitive games involving some of the world's best players).

Please get back to me asap if you are interested - by, say, 12th August?