Black Widows take to the field for the first time

Of the 12 Black Widows there were two who had played recently, the others were ladies that wanted to give something new a try and rugby training was it.

With training getting underway just before Christmas, the Wednesday evening sessions (7pm-8pm) soon grew into Sunday morning sessions (11:30am – 1:00pm) – come rain or shine.

Pulbrough kicked off and soon all of the hard work of drills and rough touch came to the front. With communication from captain India Pain, the Black Widows maintained a strong defence, with Pulbrough going over in the corner after a dogged defence. The team then rallied and spent a good portion of the next 15 minutes in the Pulbrough half.

Chances were created by the strong carrying of the forward and backs alike. The lineout worked well with Diane Anderson throwing in, combined with Lorna rising like a salmon to not only claim their ball, but also stealing two of Pulbrough’s throws over the course of the game.

Tam was named forward of the match, with battle scars to show but throughout she was hitting rucks and making big tackles in front of the 100+ spectators who came out to watch. The back of the game was Jenny, who like Tam was fearless in hitting gaps and charging forward.

The overall score of 0-46, Pulbrough commented on how the score line didn’t truly reflect on how hard they had to work to keep the Widows out. With breakaway tries and well planned back moves down the wing were all converted into tries.

After the game had finished, the ladies all headed back to the clubhouse, where the toasts and applause was handed out. As with rugby in general both teams swapped stories from the game and an away fixture is already being planned.

The Black Widows train on Wednesday Evenings and Sunday Mid mornings, it is open to new-comers, returners, and all are welcome.