LONGTON
LADIES (FORMERLY NEWCASTLE) SEASON
SCOREBOARD 2006/2007
Longton Ladies started in 2003 as Newcastle (staffs)
Ladies and played in a friendly league for its first season 2003/2004.
The team then began to grow, attracting players from the two local
universities who joined the developing Ladies team enabling them
to be entered into a competitive league in 2004/2005. Every season
since, the every growing Ladies section has been promoted, bringing
us to present day where they are currently top of the Midlands
2 League with hopes of promotion for the 3rd time into Midlands
1.
The Ladies team recently decided to up sticks from Newcastle -under-
Lyme RFC and were welcomed as Longton Ladies. The move to Longton
was not an easy feat, but as a team, the ladies decided they wanted
to be part of an ever evolving and developing rugby club that
would support and welcome the ideas of improving the opportunities
and facilities for women’s and girls rugby in the Staffordshire
area.
The team now has a promising 24 members and welcome anyone who
wishes to give the sport a try. Each year for the past 3 years,
ladies from the squad have been selected to play for the West
Midland’s, and one original team member now play’s in the premiership
with hopes of getting her first cap for England this year.
Pre
– season: Player of the match
A v Earlsdon 32 – 5 Win Sian Reid
A v Coalville 24 – 5 Win Vicki Jackson
League:
H v Greyhounds 72 – 5 Win Fiona Ludkin
A v Oxford 31 – 0 Win Ruth Stainton
H v Whitchurch Abandoned
A v Old Leams 7 - 15 Loss Andie Rhodes
H v Witney 24 – 19 Win Laura Jones
H v Shrewsbury 32 – 5 Win Steph Mack
A v Worcester 2nds WO Win
A v Greyhounds 22 – 10 Win Lisa Carter
H v Oxford 29 – 0 Win Daisy Mankee
A v Whitchurch 17 – 0 Win Lisa Carter
H v Old Leams 7 – 10 Loss Ange Watson
A v Witney 4/3/07
A v Shrewsbury 25/3/07
H v Worcester 2nds 15/4/07
H v Whitchurch (re-arranged) 22/4/07
Leading Try scorers:
Fiona Ludkin (outside centre/wing) 14
Vicki Jackson (outside centre) 11 (7 games before moved)
Gemma Millward (inside centre) 9
Lisa Carter (no 8) 6
Amy Walmsley (scrum half) 2
Mags Reece (utility) 2
Andrea Rhodes (prop) 1
Sarah Cook (flanker) 1
Eva Berrill (full back/wing) 1
Ruth Stainton (flanker) 1
Hannah Hearn (wing/full back) 1
Steph Mack (wing) 1
Leading kickers:
Vicki Jackson (outside centre) 12c (7 games before moved)
Liz Parry (fly half) 5c
Andrea Rhodes (prop) 1c
Angela Watson (second row) 1c
Big hit challenge winners!
(Only awarded when obvious!!)
Laura Jones x2
Ange Watson x2
Steph Mack x2
Ruth Stainton
Sarah Cook
JOINING
LONGTON LADIES
How about playing a bit of rugby in your spare
time? Why not get yourself outside, a bit fitter and of course
muddy!
Give it a go, we have a range of abilities and
ages throughout the club and we all started out by just mucking
in! Whether you are 16 or 50 there maybe something in it for you!
You can train with us from the age of 16 and play league games
with the seniors if you are 18 before 1st September 2007.
We train every Tuesday and Thursday between 7pm
and 8:30pm at Staffordshire University pitches. We have fixtures
most Sunday’s either at Roughcote lane or away at the other team’s
grounds, so feel free to come and watch and support. The more
the better!
For
any further information please contact Gemma Millward (captain)
on:
07793776039 / gemmamillward@hotmail.com
REGIONAL
SUCCESS!
This year we have had 3 players selected from Longton Ladies
to represent West Midlands in the very competitive senior regional
programme.
Good luck to:
LISA CARTER
MAGS REECE
GEMMA MILLWARD
Their first game is against the ‘North West’ on Sunday 25th February,
we wish them all good luck and look forward to seeing how they
get on!
Well done ladies!!!
ENGLAND
SUCCESS!
A big congratulations needs to go to previous Longton (Newcastle)
girl ‘VICKI JACKSON’ aka ‘PIDGE’, who has played for us since
2005 and has recently moved to Lichfield Ladies to gain some premiership
experience. Vicki has recently been invited to train with the
England squad, and is hoping to go to the European Championships
in Spain this year with the England ‘A’ squad.
Vicki was an influential and key player at number
13 for Newcastle and was on her way to being our leading try scorer
for the second year running this season. Vicki was selected to
play for the winning Regional side ‘West Midlands’ in 2006 along
with 2 other players from Longton (Newcastle) and was put forward
to go to the PDA’s (Player Development Academy) in the summer
of 2006. Following her success in the West Midlands as a winger,
Vicki continued to impress throughout the PDA’s and was selected
to go to the ‘Super 4’ Trials. Again Vicki was successful and
has been training with the best in the country at the ETC’s (Elite
Training Camps) for the past few months. The next step was to
be selected for the ‘Elite 44’ England squad this year for the
Six Nations, and although Vicki didn’t initially make it into
the England squad she had shown that much promise that she was
selected as a transitional/development player for the England
squad with the potential to make it into the full England side.
Being a relatively new player to the game of rugby, starting at
Keele University in 2003, Vicki has only being playing rugby for
4 years and club rugby for 2 years. Vicki is an absolute natural
to the game and has been picked up by England coaches so that
she can develop as a national and international player. She is
now playing full back for her new club and is making a great impact.
We were very sad to lose her this year and wish her all the best
in her future rugby career!
WELL DONE PIDGE!!
Women’s
committee includes:
Ladies Club Captain = Gemma
Thorndike
Team Captain = Gemma Millward
Vice Captain = Fiona Ludkin
Treasurer = Liz Fletcher
Social Secretaries = Liz Parry &
Amy Wilding
Recruitment = Ange Watson
Fundraising = Sarah Cook & Laura
Brown
