Ladies power to Plate success
Newbury were crowned Plate winners at the Berkshire Cup
NEWBURY Ladies head coach Joe Harwood was pleased with his side’s effort in the Berkshire Cup at Monks Lane.
Newbury were hosting the tournament, which saw five women’s teams from Berkshire all competing for the pre-season trophy.
“I thought the day was a big success,” Harwood said. “In particular the amount of women playing rugby, having fun and providing the crowd with a good spectacle.”
Newbury beat Bracknell 29-0 in their first game before falling to a 14-0 defeat against eventual winners Reading Abbey.
However, despite losing to Abbey, the hosts beat a team mixed with Bracknell and Crowthorne players to win the Plate final.
“My team were very good all day,” admitted Harwood. “Going in to the day there were some nerves and some apprehension, but the focus was on performance, not results, and the team rose to the occasion.”
“I was particularly pleased with the players thinking for themselves, self-organising, managing and leading themselves both on and off the pitch,” he added.
The pre-season tournament was the first time Harwood’s side have played together this year, having had to make a number of changes from last season.
He said: “We're probably further ahead in our development as a team than I thought we were, which is nice and it was a great start.
“Our feet are firmly on the ground and we know there is a lot of hard work to be put in between now and the start of the league season.”
Newbury face Sutton and Epsom away from home this weekend in their next pre-season outing.
A chance to play...
England Rugby’s Inner Warrior campaign is returning next month to provide women with an opportunity to take part in the sport.
On Monday 3rd September, Newbury RFC will host the event between 7pm – 8.30pm which offers women the chance to express themselves through either their passion for rugby or their desire to get fit.
The Warrior Camps aim to encourage a greater number of women to step onto the pitch and off the touchline as they develop their love for the sport, whether that is in a playing, coaching or refereeing capacity.
For more information, please contact Promote PR.
Email: daniel.mills@promotepr.com, ruth.bowerman@promotepr.com or tom.bowers@promotepr.com or call 01628 630 363.
