Girls' rugby at Stow-on-the-Wold!!
An historic day for Stow & District FC.
First Winner Of Wots-Her-Face - Emily
Now enjoying its’ 129th season, for the first time in it’s history, Stow & District RFC fielded a girls’ squad when an excited fledgling team headed to Minety in Wiltshire.
The fixture brought together Stow, Cirencester-Minety, and Chipping Sodbury with the purpose of providing the girls a chance to play, whilst the clubs continue to recruit.
The match was divided into quarters enabling the girls to learn as they play. As girls of all ages are welcome at Stow, the commitment of Little Squirt (U12’s) and Amy Lavin (U18’s) was rewarded as they were able to participate in the first quarter: a touch game. Both players’ handling skills proved invaluable in keeping the ball moving, and Rachael Coombes’ impressive support play lent a vital hand in setting up the first Stow try by Mollie Birchmore. Amy also proved exceptional in attack by fixing the defence to create space for Rachel Bierman, who attacked with outstanding pace to claim Stow’s second try.
The remaining quarters featured contact Rugby for the U15’s and a number of attacking phases, lead by Stow’s Emily Coombes, set the pace for the team. Molly Birchmore and Emma Chaning-Pearce also set the standard during the second quarter, as their ‘have-a-go’ attitude in contact encouraged all to strive through and prevent the opposition scoring no more than 5 tries in the second quarter.
The Stow girls were not to be down hearted by the lead, and whilst the opposition were seasoned with experience, the excitement of the Stow girls prevailed. The attacking phases showed glimpses of Stow’s true potential, and some great defensive work by Claire Fisher and Jess Dewe in mid-field restricted C-M’s score to 10 points to nil in the third quarter.
The inclusion of Chipping Sodbury proved a welcome addition to the game, offering leadership and great decision making to the Stow side; and helped the nerves to fade as the girls learnt to work together.
The last quarter brought all of Stow’s determination and confidence to a head, as Karla Eakins received the kick-off with ease and instantly began to attack, stirring Stow into action. Chaning–Pearce executed a fearless run fending off three defenders whilst moving the ball out of the defensive zone and into the opposition’s half. The invaluable help of Chipping Sodbury, and a try saving tackle by Bierman, helped to secure Stow’s triumph as they walked away winning the last quarter 5-0.
The Stow Girls Player of the Match trophy was awarded to scrum-half, Emily Coombes for her numerous attacks, launching Stow onto the front foot each time.
Stow Head Coach Catherine Beck said: “It’s great to see all of the girls so excited and willing to have a go against a very experienced team. It’s hard to believe most have never played, and that some have only had 3-4 training sessions. I’m thrilled with what they’ve achieved and can’t wait to see how the club grows.”
Manager Anne Powell was keen to “thank Cirencester-Minety and Chipping Sodbury for a superb afternoon and their support and encouragement,” she also expressed her gratitude to Cotswold District Council for the award of a grant, “without which, the club would not have been able develop this season; and today would not have been possible.”
