|
16th November '08
Mermaids
20 – Pwllheli 0
Originally the U18 Mermaids fixture was planned against
Ysgol Botwrnog, with the help of Ellie Wynn Jones. Pwllheli agreed to fill the
breach as the school were unable to raise an U18 team. We are grateful to Ellie
Wynn Jones and the coaching staff at Pwllheli, Sian and Linda, for organising
this planned practice fixture.
The Mermaids were joined by sisters Bethan and Elin Lloyd
Jones from Bangor rugby club, Ellie Jones, Cara Smith and Kelly Staples from
Oswestry rugby club and Eluned Rogers from Ruthin RFC.
Gemma Tilyard and Ellie Rawicki in the first half and Kelly
Staples and Ellie Jones in the second half were loaned to Pwllheli who were also
joined by a few girls from Ysgol Botwrnog to make for a more reasonable 15 a
side game. This helped to fulfil partly the objectives of the journey, to train
together and play a mixed squad which would help develop the game and individual
players in North Wales. There appeared to be sufficient pride in the jerseys to
make for a feisty and passionate encounter.
The first half belonged to the Mermaids who stormed from
the kick off to camp almost exclusively in the Pwllheli half, launching wave
upon wave of their now trade mark style of phased play from rucks and mauls.
They have also managed to develop speed amongst the backs which helped them
spread the attack wide when necessary. Four tries resulted. None of them were
converted.
The second half began much the same way the first ended
with the Mermaids foraging into the Pwllheli half. However, unnecessary
penalties and dropped balls saw them squander scoring opportunities on the
Pwllheli try line. Pwllheli changed tactics using long range kicks to get out
of their half. They were eventually rewarded spending the last 10 minutes or so
of the match close to the Mermaids try line. However the Mermaids survived some
anxious moments, and some detained and fierce tackling saw them keep a clean
sheet at the end.
Sisters Bethan and Elin Lloyd Jones had en excellent game,
complementing the Mermaids forwards, with some fine clearing and rucking at the
breakdowns and carrying the ball past the gain line many times. All the
forwards had good games with Emma Beaumont, Sarah Johnston, Kumari
Tilakawardane, and Joely Benton doing well as always. It was particularly
rewarding to see Gemma Tilyard gaining in confidence and showing a fine display
of tackling and ball carrying and to see Eluned Rogers gelling well with the
forwards. Eluned had an exceptional game amongst an unfamiliar squad and should
be a name to watch out for in the future. Another newcomer to rugby, Cara Smith
from Oswestry gave a superb account of herself in the second row, again a name
to be followed in the future.
Amongst the backs Elin Royle played with the assurance and
élan that we have come to expect of her at full back. She collected the high
ball with ease and glided well past the Pwllheli attackers time and again. She
was unfortunate to be deemed to have knocked the ball on close to the try line,
the referee being momentarily unsighted. All the backs performed well as a unit
with good support and communication keeping the ball alive and joining in with
the forwards to keep momentum. Abi Beards, Loz McGee, Ellie Jones had good games
with ball in hand and tackling. Anna Parkin marshalled her backs well. Sian
Williams had many breaks into the opposition two ending in tries.
In a good team it is difficult to pikc a player of the
match for the side but it would be fair that Eluned Rogers and Cara Smith,
having very good games on their debuts, should share the accolade.
The Pwllheli girls played well together and showed that
they are used to playing together. There is talent in abundance in Pwllheli and
they will become even more formidable with match experience.
Certainly the way ahead to develop girls’ rugby in the
region has been forged. Thanks are due to the management of Ysgol Botwrnog,
Pwllheli, Colwyn Bay, Bangor, Oswestry and Ruthin rugby clubs for their
support. Today the planned joint training sessions did not take place. Maybe
in the days to come, combined training sessions would be a more comfortable
place for all club squads to visit, setting alight the talent that is available
in the region for Gogledd and Welsh squads.
Tries were scored by: Sian Williams (2), Anna Parkin, Joely
Benton.
12th October '08
Mermaids 54
- Waterloo 7
The U18 Mermaids welcomed old
friends Waterloo to Brookfield Drive on a sunny Sunday afternoon (a welcome
change from the recent torrential rain!). The Mermaids were joined by guest
players from Pwllheli, Nant and Oswestry – the Oswestry girls later changed
shirts to bolster the Waterloo team.
The match began with Waterloo
in attacking mood launching ferocious assaults on the team in pink. The
Mermaids looked anxious and unsettled but the defence held. Turn over ball
passed quickly through the hands resulted in a try by Jane Owen. This settled
the Mermaids and they played with more authority. They played the game they had
become good at of retaining the ball over many phases before releasing players
over the try line. Charlotte Pirie from Pwllheli, playing in the pink shirt for
the first time showed significant speed to score the second try. Tries followed
at regular intervals.
Waterloo put in many good
efforts but valiant defending by the girls in pink frustrated them. In the
second half Waterloo put in a period of sustained pressure, staying in the
Mermaid 22 for a prolonged period and were rewarded by a well constructed try
under the post. However, this was the only success they were to have today as
the Mermaid defence held and managed to increase the score by further tries.
The Mermaids were led by the
new captain for the season Sarah Johnston. She has continued in splendid form
this season and displayed new found vigour, celebrating her call to the Welsh
under 20 squad. She proved a sterling asset in the scrums. She, and in her
absence Ellen Jones won virtually every scrum to deny Waterloo balls at the
scrum. The Mermaids did well to push and dominate the heavier Waterloo pack.
In the loose Emma Beaumont continued to excel in the back row. All the forwards
played well together to harass Waterloo when they attacked and claiming the ball
at the breakdown.
The backs found new vigour
with the vision and darting breaks of Sian Williams with support from speedy
wings, which meant that when the ball was released wide that the Mermaids gained
ground with ease. Elin Royle had an excellent game as full back, coping well
when Waterloo tested her with high ball - she did better than cope, turning
these into attack with some fine running from the back. She created many tries
and was herself rewarded with a try from these efforts.
The score line does not
reflect the attacking play of Waterloo, more it is a testament to the Mermaids
superb defence. It was not to be Waterloo’s day. Surely they will return to
avenge this one that got away in the near future.
21st September '08
Mermaids/Sandbach 31-5 Caldy
The first official game of
the season for the Mermaids was on a very hot Sunday afternoon at home against
Caldy. Sandbach joined forces with the Colwyn Bay Mermaids to field fifteen to
face the team from the Wirral. The team was nicknamed ‘Sandwyn Bay’ by the
players. Joely Benton of the Mermaids suffered a recurrence of her ankle injury
in the first 30 seconds and had to leave the field. This and the initial
makeshift nature of the combined teams resulted in a lot of moving and shaking
among the players and positions. The first 20 minutes were very scrappy and
disjointed; the Mermaids and Sandbach taking time to get used to each other’s
styles. Despite this, most play was in the Caldy 22, with breaks being taken
for several Caldy injuries. Then after 20 minutes the pinks’ game suddenly got
a lot better – they were crossing the gain line with virtually every phase and
the supporting play was great. The sustained pressure was rewarded with
Mermaids’ Captain for the day Anna Parkin scoring a well worked try out wide;
Jane Owen added the conversion. This revitalised the Mermaids and after several
attacks on the Caldy line utility-forward Sarah Johnston danced through four
tacklers to score under the posts, with another conversion by Owen.
Due to the heat a lot of
fluids were taken on at half time, and the players and positions mixed and
changed. Caldy came out of the blocks quickly after the break, with their
player-of-the-match Trudy sprinting up the wing to score their try. This
galvanised the Mermaids with the tries seemingly streaming through; Sandbach
player Thea powered over the try line after the ball was run through the hands,
followed by Colwyn Bay scrum-half Abi Beards coming close to scoring but
offloading at the crucial moment to Emma Beaumont for her to dive under the
uprights which was converted by Owen. Then in the last few moments of the game
Sandbach’s Naeve dodged several would-be defenders to score the final try of the
game.
The match was a great
success, with some great rugby being played by both sides, the match turning in
the last half to a fast flowing game of entertaining rugby. The Mermaids would
like to thank the Sandbach players very much for collaborating in order to field
a full XV for the first time in 3 seasons! The coaches would like to give a
special mention to Sarah Johnston and Emma Beaumont. Sarah as always was doing
well in winning the ball in the scrum and putting in some smashing tackles and
fighting for the ball in the loose. Emma Beaumont had a wonderful match making
her transition from the back division into the forwards and possibly finding her
position in rugby life in the back row.
The score line possibly
does not do justice to Caldy who put in a sturdy performance to a more
experienced unit. They should be a force to contend with in the future.
14th September '08
Colwyn Bay Mermaids were
the only team representing North Wales at last weekend’s National 10s
Tournament. After a very early start the girls endured a gruelling journey
through all the windy roads to Llandovery, which resulted in nearly everyone
feeling very ill indeed!
Without even playing a
game Abi Beards, one of the most experienced Mermaids players had to be taken to
hospital with stomach pains. Several players were carrying injuries, but had to
play as the squad was just 13 players.
The opening match was
against established side Newport; sporting several former East Wales U17
players. The word was that Newport were a strong scrummaging side. The Mermaids
were nervous going into the match as their scrummaging skills and the front five
had not yet been put to the test and were hampered by injuries. However they
gave a creditable display and Sarah Johnston, who has been a reluctant No 2 held
her own against her opposite. Emma Beaumont scrimmaged in the front row for the
first time, joining Ellen (Mwsh) Jones and they held their own against the
Newport front row. The Mermaids’ defence was exceptionally strong throughout the
match. They were able to defend their try line time and again, preventing what
would normally have been certain tries. From this defensive base Emma and Jane
Owen made excellent line breaks giving Colwyn Bay the upper hand for a lot of
the match. Colwyn Bay’s tries were scored by Sarah Johnston and Ellie Rawicki,
with Yasmin Leung adding one conversion. There was some confusion about the
score, with both teams and the spectators believing the win belonged to the
Mermaids, but the referee ruled a 12-12 draw.
Jade Mills and Kumari
Tilakawardane had to miss the second match against Neath through injury. The
Neath game was one the Mermaids knew would be tough, the West Wales team being
renowned for hard play. Colwyn Bay played hard and impressed both the
opposition and the spectators, Ellen ‘Mwsh’ Jones played particularly well. The
Mermaids on their own broke away twice only to be stopped close to the try line
by excellent cover defence by Neath. The score at 30-0 didn’t reflect the
Mermaids’ hard work and great defence.
The final U18 game was
against Cardigan, who combined with Newport to complete a team. The match was
very closely fought, with some good attacking play from the Mermaids. The first
half ended 10-0 to Cardigan though the Mermaids vowed to fight back and they did
just that, Sarah Johnston scoring a great try under the posts just after the
break. Immediately after Kumari was unlucky to be hauled down just before the
try line after a fantastic break by Joely Benton.
The players all want to
congratulate Loz McGee on her first rugby match, for playing so well and making
several important tackles. The coach and manager’s joint players of the
tournament were Anna Parkin for tackling non-stop and being constantly in
support and Loz for such a fantastic debut.
After the tournament there
was a regional presentation, with North Wales U18 squad members Joely Benton,
Sarah Johnston, Anna Parkin, Emma Beaumont, Jane Owen, Abi Beards and Kumari
Tilakawardane receiving their badges. Congratulations also to Amelia Stubbs,
former U17 Mermaid, who was awarded North Wales U14 Player of the Year.
Builth Wells - 7th September '08
Several Mermaids
players went down to Builth Wells for a Regional Development Day on Sunday,
undertaken by the WRU national squad coaches.
The day’s
training for U18s was split into non-contact work in the morning followed by a
contact session after lunch. Mixing with players from all over Wales, allowed
the girls from Colwyn Bay to hone their skills as well as picking up new
techniques and exercises. The morning session was a tremendous success with
both the girls and the coaches, Colwyn Bay players Ellie Rawicki and Joely
Benton being singled out for praise several times during the passing and space
drills.
The afternoon
session had only been underway for half an hour when a serious collision ended
the day for Emily Smith of East Wales and Joely. The accident severely injured
Joely’s ankle and Emily suffered a bad knock to her already injured knee.
Training was halted temporarily while the two players were tended to and
eventually taken by ambulance to hospital. Everyone, including Sophie Bennett –
WRU Women’s Elite Manager - commented on how brave Joely was in the face of her
injury, having to remain on the field for over an hour afterwards. She also
provided plenty of entertainment, especially after having inhaled ample amounts
of Entonox! On a serious note the injuries were well dealt with, and we would
like to thank the paramedics and the physio who attended.
The training day
carried on to include contact skills. The day ended a bit earlier than planned
partly due to the injuries but mostly as the targets the coaches aimed at had
been reached by the girls.
The girls were
quite happy with what they had achieved and everyone agree that it was a day and
cost well spent both from the point of view of rugby skills and the new contact
made with the girls and coaches from the south.
An anxious trip
to Nevill Hall Hospital provided adventure of a different kind and a team of
tired girls made their way back to North Wales in good spirit, even Joely who
had her leg cradled in a splint. The day ended with the good news that Joely
had a sprain and not a fracture as had been suspected putting the icing on the
cake of a really good day’s rugby fun.
Thanks to Brian
Roberts and Colwyn Bay Rugby Club for supporting the girls on their journey
southward. |
