Ladies v Men Red Nose Match
A sunny Saturday afternoon saw perfect conditions for rugby at Medway RFC; as Medways first team prepared themselves for a tough match against Bromley, a more crucial game was about to take place.... The ladies V mens Comic Relief charity match.
Whilst the ladies prepared themselves with red facepaint and pyjama bottoms, the men decided to take advantage of the opportunity and bring out their best dresses and wigs.
With pre-match training consisting of a walk to the bar, everyone was eager to get started.
From kick-off, both sides seemed to enjoy the excuse to clobber the other, and not much ground was gained. Some excellent decisions by fair and impartial referee Don Richards, gave the ladies the immediate advantage which was not wasted as quick hands went down the line for Debbie McCormack to score in the far corner.
After several substitutions- including some of the ladies flipping shirts to lend the men a hand, both teams continued to fight for ground. Skirts were ripped and pig-tails pulled but play continued and the ladies remained in the lead as the half time whistle was blown.
The half time team talk enabled all players to refresh themselves with a few sips of fortified wine- leaving just enough time to adjust wigs and garter belts.
With renewed energy (and new players) the game continued with a more even distribution of possession between teams. However, ref Richards (allowing an oxygen break for all) called a dubious decision- awarding a scrum to the men which No.9 Geoff Kempt picked the ball and exploited a gap- throwing a long pass to runner McCormack who continued and slid across the line (losing some sequins...) to once again score in the same place.
Floating defense Jemmit, Evans, Bent and Farbrace kept close guard of the try line and held up the men from pushing through.
The women quickly retaliated with good direction from No.9 Robertson and fast pace by McKeating, Jordon and ‘Tartan’ Thompson to set up mademoiselle Trolle for the score.
The men seemed disheartened by the ladies renewed determination and vigour, so with spirits dwindling, ladies team member Lindsey Duncan (fulltime supporter and beer enthusiast) made sure she didn’t confuse the ref with a different coloured shirt by removing it and tackling team mate Jess ‘tutu’Thorne to the floor- passing possession to the men.
More rolling substitutions saw the addition of Gordon Stone who took a quick ball from ‘Kafkan’ Shaw and popped it to newcomer Andy ‘legs’ Oliver who sprinted over half the pitch- outrunning the ladies and losing his wig in the process, to score under the posts for the men.
Time (and energy) was running low, and with the scores now tied at 10-10, the women knew they needed to start pushing further upfield.
Some excellent crash balls by Soroka and Preston gained the ladies precious yards whilst ref Richards joined the line to receive the pass and offload quickly to returning member Ronel Steyn who’s impressive footwork drifted the defender enabling ‘matey’ Duncan to cross the line for the ladies 3rd try.
With only minutes left, the game looked sure to be won by the prettier team, but undeterred by the pressing time and red faces, the men hitched up their dresses and runner Andy O’Connell outran the ladies defense; a chase emerged for the line and the with the ladies forcing pressure, Kempt supported by Chris ‘Lucy’ Green popped the ball between themselves enabling Kempt to place it down levelling the scores just as the final whistle blew.
With a race to the showers fronted by Green, the afternoon was finished off with raffles, face paints and generous donations- all of which are totalled to be in excess of £300 so far.
A big thank you to Liz Shaw and Sandi Thompson who organised the day, and to everyone that took part and supported - A great day was had by all.
Aylesford II 15 Medway 17
Medway Ladies rugby team travelled to Aylesford on Sunday to play an exciting, nail-biter of a game- proving their new coaching and hard work at training are really starting to pay off.SFrom kick-off, Medway forced continuous pressure on Aylesford- denying them the opportunity to attack. Battling heavy winds, Medway stuck to the basics with sharp passes and strong tackling; quick hands down the line within the first ten minutes delivered the ball to winger Nicole McKeating for Medway’s first try.
Play quickly moved into Medway’s territory where Aylesford persevered to finally punch through Medway’s solid defence and equal the score.
Medway kept calm and were able to reorganise themselves well after several critical penalties were called against them.
Coaches Don Richards and Jean Farbrace sent the team out for the second half with renewed confidence and guidance; unfortunately Aylesford exploited a gap in Medway’s defensive line and scored quickly into the second half. Not to be deterred, Medway fought back with newcomer Suzi Williams continuously pushing back the defending team by punching through Aylesford’s line. The ground gained enabled an impressive rolling maul by prop Alison Smith, well supported by the forwards, enabling her to score and then kick a challenging conversion to see Medway take the lead.
The aggressive winds made play difficult for both teams and Aylesford kept the game interesting by fighting back and running in their third try which saw them take the lead towards the end of the match.
With 4 minutes left on the clock, Medway were once again dominating Aylesford’s 22. A mistake by Aylesford meant a penalty was awarded to Medway; quick initiative and smart game play saw scrum half Ann Robertson take a quick tap, supported by out of position Debbie McCormack at Fly Half, who took the ball over the line to secure Medway’s third try- sealing their win.
New Coach, England’s Rachael Burford, was pleased to hear of the ladies’ win after also just playing; England ladies beat the Welsh team 19 – 0 in their opening 6 nations game.
Lady of the match went to Larysa Soroka for her impressive and relentless tackling and continuous effort throughout the game.
Team:
Alison Smith
Louise Patrick
Lia Korley
Caroline Jordan
Clémence Trollé
Gemma Duncan (C)
Elizabeth Shaw
Suzie Williams
Leanne Ogston
Larysa Soroka
Debbie McCormack
Nicole McKeating C
heryl Beech
Sandie Thompson
Tina Martin
Medway ladies have a home game against East Grinstead this Sunday at 2pm K.O, please come along and support your local club at Priestfields, Rochester. If you are interested in joining the ladies team, we train on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 7pm, please feel free to come along- all abilities welcome. Contact the club at 01634 847737 or Gemma at 07513008638.
Footscray 32 Medway 0
Medway travelled to Footscray on Sunday for their first game of the season. The sun was shining and with an eager squad of 15, Medway were looking for a good start to the season.
Both teams started strong and held up very well defensively. Medway’s forwards were strong and dominated scrums with good support work in open play. The lineouts worked well considering the units had been put together just minutes before- with new lifters and jumpers alike. The Medway squad was made up of many new and out-of-positioned players whom all equally performed extremely well, everyone’s hard work and support on the pitch was evident, even when the back line (made up of mainly forwards) had to constrain themselves from not getting involved in the pack work!
Medway had various runs breaking through the defensive line- only to be held up by quick support work from the Footscray defense. Ultimately, Footscray were able to break the inexperienced Medway backline and run through several tries. The score finished 0-32, but with a fair and very competent referee, both sides displayed good rugby and the day was successful. Overall, the game was enjoyable and alot was learnt to help Medway continue to improve and progress as a team.
Tina Martin was nominated as Footscrays player of the match for her excellent work throughout the game- delivering excellent rugby both in the scrums and in open play. An excellent achievement considering it was her first game at hooker!
Medways nominated players of the match were; Clements Trolle, Cheryl Beech and Sarah Endean for their excellent support work throughout the game on their first ever match for Medway.
Team:
Natalie Jemmet, Tina Martin, Alison Smith, Tamara Bent, Sarah Endean, Gemma Duncan, Rachel Evans, Ann Robertson, Debbie McCormack, Jess Thorne, Liz Shaw, Cheryl Beech, Clements Trolle, Kit Barrie, Leanne Ogston.
If you are interested in joining Medway Ladies Rugby Team, we train on a Tuesday and Wednesday evening at 7.30pm, Priestfields, Rochester.
For more information contact Tammy on 07739430284
Pictures by Lindsey Duncan, Report by Debbie McCormack.