WELWYN WARRIORS GIRLS RUGBY TEAM

Coeur de Guerrier

May 2007 Newsletter

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Hannah G. in full flight – Regrettably this service is temporarily cancelled! (Normal service will be resumed in September!)

It’s been a while since the last newsletter, which opened with our congratulations to Hannah & Megan on making the RFUW Talent Development Group. In February, Megan broke her leg playing against Basildon, she will make her comeback at the National 10s final in Lichfield on Sunday. Good Luck Megs! For poor H.G. her season is over! A broken ankle last week playing for the East of England vs Yorkshire. Plaster off mid summer so I’m sure she’ll be back with us before you lot spot she’s missing! Get well soon H.G.!

Well! It’s been quite a year! Whatever happens in the last 3 festivals, we have to be delighted with where we are as a club and where we are at with our club development plan!

Since August.

  • We've more than doubled the numbers in both age groups
  • We've won the Welwyn-Hatfield Sports awards
  • We've established good club school links with the help of our local schools and the local council.
  • Runners up - both age groups at the Beckenham Festival
  • Southern Runners up National 15 a side comp U17
    • Warriors with their medals
  • London North Regional Champs National 10s U17
  • 18 of 25 U17 County players
  • 8 of 12 at U14
  • 11 out of 30 U17 regional players
  • 6 U14 regional players
  • 2 girls in the Talent Development Group U17
  • 1 U14 trialed for the new U14 TDG.
  • £1,000 Grant from W-H for new kit
  • £1,000 form HSP for club/school links
  • £1,200 from LNF for training Equipt
  • We're hosting the Herts 7s this year which is now having teams come down from Worcester & Spalding
  • The senior club at Welwyn is now offering us even more help with coaching and allowing us to try and expand the facilities.
  • 3 Second/Runners up awards at the HSP bash last week.
  • Group Dev plan is on course.

    • Given how new to rugby some of the U14s are, we’ve had some stonking performances in matches as well as application and commitment at training, take a bow Sam, Emma, Olivia P, Lydia, Abi, Olivia L, Lotte, Jo, Anna and Eli and I know Pete is excited about next season as some current U12’s will also be joining up!

    So, where to now?

    We aim to get some really good coaching into the girls during the summer. Luke is going to oversee a group of extra coaches that will be down working on specific skills. Expect to see the scrum machine out. Line outs. Scrum Half, hooker, props, etc we need to have players that can play in more than one position. We can no longer have 1 hooker, 1 scrum half, we get an injury or holiday and we’re in the soup! Pete Engledow will be coaching. So will Simon Hardy, England’s line out coach for the 2003 World cup winning squad! Miss a week and you may miss a coaching session by the very best!! We will also continue our joint forwards coaching at Saracens.

    Starting on 31st May, training will move to Thursday nights. Please, do all you can to make it! By now you should know the fixtures we’ve got for next season. WE ARE PLAYING THE VERY BEST TEAMS AROUND. FOR THE U18s, NO-ONE IN EAST REGION! FOR THE U15s ONLY A COUPLE OF TEAMS IN THE REGION!

    We shall be looking to recruit new players for all areas. We’re hoping that maybe some more girls from local clubs will join us. We are now THE club in the region for any girl with ambition. If you know any girl wanting to progress as far as she can, please ask her to come down and see us!

    Representative honours? I know some of you were very disappointed not to make County or Region. Some made the squad but not the ‘final cut’A couple were disillusioned and withdrew. I remain to be convinced that all the best players were selected. That having been said, I know some of our girls really didn’t put in 100% effort. There are other ways to get recognition. As the opportunities come up, Pete or I will speak to you and your parents about the other paths to take to be recognized.

    We can start this Sunday at Worthing and Lichfield. Play your very best. Run your hearts out! Next season, if we put in good performances against the likes of Dorking and Wimborne, you will be noticed! You can bet, on Sunday, TDG scouts will be around. SHOW THEM WHAT YOU CAN DO! AND, WHAT THEY HAVE MISSED!

    We have to get our heads right! We have to be ready from the kick off. East got caught from the kick off Vs South on Sunday and never recovered! We have to learn to play under pressure. Think and make the right decisions under pressure. It will be hard training and hard matches but the payback is that when you are in a regional trial or regional match, TDG session, you will have the edge over the other girls.

    Welwyn Warriors is THE club to be at! Mike Davies and the Committee, Pete Engledow, Gary Peterkin and the Mini section, John Marham, so many people helping us and it was great to see so many girls out supporting the firsts in their play off and playing in the club’s touch rugby day last week. We have now a real ‘One Club’ feel to Welwyn. It is the envy of a lot of other clubs throughout the land. We are on the cusp of something very special. Plans for extra floodlights. Plans for a second storey clubhouse extension. New shower changing facilities just for the girls! The firsts and other mini coaches all coming down to help Luke make you the best. Jess Lane is returning to Welwyn to join the Warriors coaching set up. Martyn Voyle has also agreed to join the management group.

    And not forgetting PARIS 2008! A message from Alison on OUR fundraising efforts!

    Tour 2008 Fund Raising

  • We need a few more people to help prepare and serve drinks and food at the regional tournament on the 20th May, we are asking for volunteers to do a short session each.
  • Our Family Quiz Night is on the 8th June , at the rugby club, we need YOU!!! to buy some tickets. Teams are a max. of eight people but you can make a team on the night. Tickets £6 each or £20 for a family of four,(under 12s free) Includes Ploughmans Supper. This is our first major fundraiser for tour 2008 so please support it, bringing family and friends, it promises to be a “ good do”
    • We are running a raffle, so if you can’t come why not Donate a prize.
  • We are taking a table at the Welwyn Festival Street Market on 16th June2007. 9.30-12.30, any help would be appreciated on the day (girls in their Warrior T shirts would be good) but we need your “Stuff” to sell,

    • We are looking for small second hand items in good condition, so clear out your cupboards.Girls that means you too,!!!!! (its been suggested we could sell Jams or produce too, so really we’ll take anything !!)

    Please give me a call or email about any of the above.

    Contact Alison on 01438 714863 or Martynvoyle@hotmail.com

    And speaking of our progress, Welwyn has been chosen to host The Herts 7s,

    Pete still urgently needs volunteers to help and to ref matches. If you can help out, even if only for a little while, please get in touch with Pete.

    Pete has organised a specialist Saracens Rugby coaching camp at Welwyn on July 24 & 25th. The very best coaching. The cost is £50ish, Pete has applied for funding to get this for free but in case he doesn’t that will be the cost but well worth the money!

    DON’T FORGET, AFTER THE 7s ON THE 20th, WILL BE THE WARRIORS END OF SEASON AWARDS, SHOULD BE GOOD!!

    We're running school holiday rugby to get the yr 5 & 6 girls into the club. We’ll keep you informed of dates – yet more help we’ve had from Welwyn-Hatfield Council.

    Together with Saracens and the other clubs in Herts, we want to pull together the girls game in the County to widen access for girls across Herts to get into rugby.

    Vince Staniforth has also got a full ladies team going at Welwyn and we’ll get more info on that from Vince for next time!

    I’d like to finish by thanking Luke for coaching the girls to the success we’ve had this season. With the extra sessions he’ll be overseeing, I think he’ll be busier in the off season than he is now! To Pete for such a sterling amount of work, most of it unseen, for Chris with his help coaching. To Rita, so many different tasks, and Caroline and especially Alison and Martyn, moving mountains already to make Paris a reality!!

    Thank you all!
    Best Regards,

    Dave Marques,
    Team Manager,

    Tel: 01707 372675
    Mob: 0786 676 5411
    e-mail dave@belpar.co.uk