Supermarine Ladies Rugby

Supermarine Ladies held their AGM on 12 April and successfully elected their new committee for the 2006/2007 Season.

Section Manager: Sarah Allen
Coaches: Ian Chard and Paul Stewart
Captain: Claire Chard
Vice Captain: Zoe Walsh
Fixture Secretary and Referee Liaison: Monica Lewinska
Match Day Coordinator: Sam Way and Charlie Stone
Press Officer: Natalie Williams
Website Liaison Officer: Lucy Woodhouse
Social and Fundraising Committee: Mandy Breading, Becky Chester, Steph Watts and Natalie Williams
Tour Committee: Claire Chard and Lucy Woodhouse
Youth Officer: Steph Watts
Recruitment Officer: Shona Watt
Sponsorship Coordinator: Sarah Allen and Natalie Williams

Dates for your diary

14-17 April 2006 - Tour - it's magical and mysterious, be in the GW at 11am, with ferdy in hand

20 April 2006 - Rugby Club AGM - our chance to air any grievances

30 April 2006 - National Shield Semi-Finals - Loughborough at home

7 May 2006 - Playoffs for promotion to Premiership 2 (location to be confirmed)

3 June 2006 - Annual Dinner Dance and Awards - including Barn Dance and Disco

10 June 2006 - Clifton Mixed 7s Tag Rugby Tournament - beer, rugby and BBQ - email if you're up for it!

AGM - Important Tour information (06-04-06)

The word on the street is that anyone who doesn't come to the AGM (Wednesday 12 April, 7.30pm) will severely suffer on tour. As all players know there is a growing list of 'tour ferdy' and there are one or two final items that all tourists will require... but we're not telling unless you come to the AGM - incentive if ever there was one! See you on Wednesday.

Supermarine win the League (27-03-06)

In the last league game of the season Supermarine defeated Avon away from home to secure victory in South West 1. Supermarine Ladies will now face Waterloo, Camphill and Blackheath in the playoffs for promotion on 7 May 2006.

AGM 12 April 2006 (27-03-06)

Supermarine Ladies AGM will take place on 12 April 2006 at 7.30pm. All members should attend (apologies to Sarah Allen). The meeting will be a review of last year's minutes, this season, a look ahead at next season, election of specific roles will take place for the positions of Captain, Vice Captain, Manager, Fixtures secretary and others. Nominations may be made in advance by contacting Sarah.

Also scheduled for discussion: recruitment, juniors, advertising and sponsors. Give these issues your thoughts before the meeting as any ideas will be gratefully received and discussed.

Shona takes on the Irish (09-03-06)

After a strong performace against England, Shona Watt will join the starting line-up for Friday's match against the Irish. You can keep up to date with news of the Scottish ladies here.

15 Lucy Millard (Murrayfield Wanderers)

14 Chris Ovenden (Richmond)
13 Rimma Petlevannaya (Murrayfield Wanderers)
12 Veronica Fitzpatrick (RHC)
11 Lynsey Douglas (Worcester)

10 Mary Pat Tierney (Watsonians)
9 Paula Chalmers (Murrayfield Wanderers) CAPTAIN

1 Karen Findlay (Richmond)
2 Iona Frickleton (Watsonians)
3 Gillian McCord (Watsonians)
4 Lindsay Wheeler (Watsonians)
5 Sarah Mee (Watsonians)
6 Susie Brown (Hillhead/Jordanhill)
8 Donna Kennedy (Worcester)
7 Shona Watt (Supermarine)

London Irish St Patrick's Day game (18-02-06)

Supermarine's youngsters are fundraising, and have organised a trip to see London Irish play Sale Sharks on 25th March. Tickets cost 15 and include a bacon buttie for breakfast, return coach travel to Reading, and entrance to the game (normal ticket price is 18!). If you are interested in going along, see Steve Bartlett at the club, or email the webmaster.

Website back online (02-02-06)

Following a week of absence due to webhosting difficulties, the Supermarine Ladies website is back online. If anyone is interested in sponsoring webhosting for the team, please contact the webmaster

Christmas Update (11-12-05)

After finishing 2005 with a strong win against St Mary's Old Boys, there will be no more training until the new year (4th Jan).

And is if an excuse was needed, the Ladies are celebrating Christmas in style on Friday 16th - drinks in Makenzies from 7pm, and dinner in Picklejohns at 8pm. Menu choices need to be with Natalie by Wed 14th, and the balance of £14.95 is paid on the night. The theme is Dress to Impress.

Christmas Dinner (14-11-05)

The Ladies are celebrating on the 16th December, contact Natalie if you want to come - deposit of £5 due now.

2005/2006 Club Membership (05-9-05)

All players are reminded that in order to be registered with the RFUW they will need to pay their membership subscription before the first league game of the season. Fees this year are £40 annually (£30 for full time students). Sports and Social Club membership will also be payable, but not until January. Contact Claire for information.

Rugby Taster Day 14 August 2005 (19-07-05)

Supermarine Ladies will be holding a taster day from 12 noon on the 14th August. Click here for more information.

2005/2006 Fixtures released (07-07-05)

The 05/06 season sees Supermarine continue in South West 1. It appears that they are to be joined by 3 teams being promoted directly from South West 3 - Bath, Chippenham and St Mary's Old Boys - the reason for this is not yet clear. The first league match will take place on 18th Sept, but no doubt, there will be pre-season friendlies before that. For more inforamtion on all the fixtures click here.

New committee elected (13-04-05)

Congratulations go to Claire Chard on her re-election as Captain, and to Zoe Walsh for her new role as Vice-Captain. Other changes to the committee include Sarah Allen taking over the Section Managers Role, and the creation of a Sponsorship Coordinators role, to be held jointly by (can't remember! will update later today...), and Recruitment Officer Hayley Cronin (I think?!).

The Social Committee has three members this year, Fran Brewer, Natalie Williams and Jacqui Carter, while Claire Chard and Lucy Strong maintain their role of Tour Committee.

It was decided that the entire committee would meet once a month, and members were reminded of the Rugby Section AGM next Wednesday (20th) at 7pm and the Sports and Social Club AGM on the 28th.

AGM and Dinner Dance (11-04-05)

The ladies section AGM will take place at Supermarine Rugby Club at 7pm on the 13th April, all members should attend, or give their apologies in advance to either Claire or Alex. This is your chance to have a say in how the section is run, and also to vote in the committee for the 2005/2006 season.

The DINNER DANCE AND AWARDS returns to it's favoured format of a sit down formal dinner this year, so you should all have your posh frocks at the ready for the 7th May. Tickets are £20 per person, and can be bought from Alex Parker. This is a great evening, and a chance to acknowledge the people how have earned our praise this season. Guests are welcome too.

Scottish Women pipped by England

From the Scottish Rugby Website 19-03-05

Heroics from Lucy Millard in both attack and defence were not enough to earn Scotland's women's team success at Twickenham today.

Their Triple Crown bid was derailed by an altogether more powerful England team as they lost 10-22.

"We lost a couple of soft scores and at this level that's always going to be punished," said the Scots' assistant coach Stevie Gemmell.

Scotland's points came from a first-half penalty by scrum-half Paula Chalmers who converted full-back Millard's 56th minute try.

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Shona has six appeal First published in the Evening Advertiser 27/01/05

AS ANY self-respecting Scottish rugby fan will surely agree, little would be more pleasing to them than the sight of a member of their marauding back row giving England's star fly-half a torrid time when the two sides meet in the Six Nations Championship on March 19.

Admittedly, given their recent differing fortunes, supporters of the red rose persuasion are unlikely to be losing sleep over the thought of their World Cup-winning golden boy Jonny Wilkinson if fit being troubled by the old enemy from north of the border in the tea-time Calcutta Cup clash.

A few hours earlier on that same Twickenham turf, though, things might just be a little different.

Supermarine Ladies' Shona Watt will be hoping so, when England versus Scotland, in the women's Six Nations, kicks off before the men take centre stage.

And when it comes to giving England No 10s the odd nightmare or two, she does have a bit of previous!

Out of the eight caps she has won for the Scotland national women's team, one in particular stands out for the tough-tackling flanker.

``My favourite moment has got to be from the Six Nations against England at Netherdale last year,'' said Shona, who has been included in the 22-strong squad for next Friday night's opener against holders France in Roubaix.

``It was a big challenge coming up against Shelley Rae, the England No 10, but I think I definitely made my mark on her!

``It was good. I don't know whether Shelley is going to be playing this season at Twickenham and obviously I'm not certain I'll be selected yet but it would be great to repeat that when it came to trying to get one up on her again.

``And there wouldn't be a better stage to do that than Twickenham, in front of a big crowd.''

Twickenham will be the last leg of Scotland's Six Nations campaign, but Watt, an ever-present in the team last year, can also look forward to playing all her side's home matches against Ireland, Spain and Wales at Murrayfield, straight after the men's games.

But while their male counterparts are widely expected to be vying with Italy to avoid the Wooden Spoon, she hopes the women can at least give a small lift to Scottish rugby.

``We're optimistic. We'll certainly be looking to improve on last year's Six Nations form,'' she added. ``Squad training went really well. We've had quite a few changes in the squad with lots of new young players coming through.

``I think third is a realistic target behind the big guns, which are England and France.

"We finished third in the European Championships last year, so it would be good to at least match that in the Six Nations.

``There are some pretty pessimistic predictions for the men this season, but we've been getting the best performances compared to all the Scottish teams, including the age group teams, so we will certainly be looking to maintain that.''

Having started playing the sport at the age of nine in the same team as her twin brother, she joined the Supermarine Ladies club six years ago.

The call from her country eventually arrived last year in another historic home of rugby.

``When I won my first cap, it was down in Wales at the Arms Park, right next to the Millennium Stadium,'' added Shona. ``I was obviously pretty nervous, but it was a great honour to represent your country and we won that game.

``I played in the Six Nations last year and then a FIRA tournament, which is basically a European Championship, so it was quite a long season in all.''

Her international recognition is also a shot in the arm for her club, who have established a strong reputation for women's rugby in the south west.

``Supermarine have had a lot of quality players, some who have moved on to bigger clubs in the Premier Division,'' she added. ``It's great to carry on the tradition of the club, of developing players that go on to play internationals and play at a higher level.''

Back to that looming Twickenham date though.

``Playing there will be brilliant,'' she said. ``It's likely to be a fantastic atmosphere."

But watch out if you're in a white No 10 shirt with the red rose!

Shona Watt will face USA Eagles 24-11-04

Ahead of the 2005 Six Nations Championship, Shona Watt has been selected for the Scottish squad that will face USA Eagles this weekend. Murrayfield, Sat 27 Nov 2004, Scotland v USA Eagles
Click here for details of all Scotlands Six Nations Fixtures

Date decided for Christmas Party 18-11-04

We are having some sort of Christmas outing on Friday 3rd December. Sarah is in charge (I think!), so ask her what's going on!!

Hallowe'en! 27-10-04

Our next game is at home against Plymouth, on Sunday 31st October, which is Hallowe'en! So, as if we need an excuse, we've decided to have a bit of a 'social' after the match! Fancy dress is compulsory! (The FINE MASTER will be watching you...)

We'll be at the club for a while after the match, and then heading into town to party the night away. We'd like to invite our opposition to stay and join the fun!

Click here for photos See you all on Sunday, as always, supporters are very welcome - we kick-off at 2.30pm!

Pre-Season training kicks off in torrential downpour! 08-07-04

Wednesday 7th July saw pre-season training starting in earnest, and to get us fully prepared for the 04/05 season, the weather was suitably wintery! Horizontal rain, long wet grass, and gale force winds met the brave players who turned out on Wednesday night, but the session was a success. Training with the men's squad, there was a variety of fitness and ball handling skills to suit all levels. And of course a nice hot shower and well deserved drink in the bar afterwards! If you are interested in joining the team, or just 'having a go', check the contacts page to get in touch, or turn up at the club at 7pm (we will be training on Wednesday's from now until mid-August, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from then onwards - check the events calender for details).

Stars in Their Eyes? 13-06-04

11 June saw a grand turnout of the girls (and a few brave 'other halfs') at the Hilton Hotel in Swindon for an end of season celebration. Much fun had, enjoying the local talent taking on the stars in their eyes challenge! If you have any photos of the event that you would like to 'share' please use the email page to contact the web editor...

Race for Life 2004 07-06-04

Please check out the Race for Life page for a write up of our antics!

Annual Rugby Awards 05-06-04

On 1st May 2004, the ladies got themselves dolled up for the Annual Awards Dinner. This year however, the dinner took on a buffet format, and the ladies were by far the most glamourous in attendance.

Coach's Award was recieved by Claire Chard, who also gained the acolade of Top Try Scorer for the 2003/2004 season. Player's Player was deserevdly won b Heidi Jelleyman, and the Club Member award went to Alex Parker. Most Improved Player was Lucy Strong.

Plates were presented to Shona Watt, for recognition of her International Achievemnts, and Theresa Bickell to commemorate 10 seasons playing for Supermarine Ladies.

Coach Matt Fry was also presented with an engraved hip-flask ("For services to Women") and a little something to fill it up with.

Congratulations to everyone who received an award, and we look forward to our own "Dinner Dance" scheduled for June (another excuse to get dressed up!).

Supermarine Ladies end the season on a high 20-06-04

EASTER weekend saw 14 of the ladies team (including coach, 'Miriam') descend on the city of Leeds for what was for many, their virgin tour. One fixture was played, competing against the Otley Mens 4th team, in which the girls did themselves proud in securing a victory. But as the tourists know, what goes on tour, stays on tour, so no further mention is required here!

The 18th April 2004 saw Supermarine Ladies finish their Premiership 2 season with a win against Rosslyn Park. The final score was 7-0, after a late try from Heidi Jelleyman. This was skilfully converted by Claire Smith to seal the victory.

Despite this win, the team are facing relegation, either to South West 1 or Midlands 1. This brings much disappointment to players, but everyone is enthusiastic about building a strong team next season, with many new players and some old faces returning from injury.

The team are looking forward to competing in several 7s tournaments in the coming months, as well as starting their summer training campaign.

The end of the season will be celebrated at the Annual Rugby Awards Dinner taking place on 1st May, where players will receive recognition for their performance and commintment this season. Members can buy their ticket (5) from Alex Parker.

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