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18th May -
Dorking U-18 45 v Welwyn U -18 17
Yes it's the 19th of May and yes rugby is still being played at the Big Field. And, how was it played! After winning the London & South East 7's the week before, the U-18 girls approached the fixture with Welwyn with a little apprehension. Welwyn have had a fantastic season. Without winning any of the major National trophies they have come close in several events. Some might say that they are either second or third rated in the country and deservedly so. However Dorking were to start the game on fire, scoring 2 converted tries in the first 10 minutes of the game. Working off the confidence of last weeks victory, they played fast flowing rugby and totally dominated the early exchanges. The large crowd were in awe of a performance not seen from this talented group for sometime. But as been the norm through the years, they let the opposition back into the game. Too their credit Welwyn fought back and brought the score back to 17. 12 at half time. After some inspirational words of wisdom from the coaching staff, Dorking upped their game from the start of the second half playing some excellent rugby between forwards and backs. This resulted in 4 second half tries most of which were converted by the prodigious kicker, Rachel Abbott. Finally a performance by this team, which has justified the coaches belief that on their day, they are a match for any team in the world!!! The afternoon was completed with a marvellous BBQ and drinks. Thanks to Tricia and Barbara for all their help. Sadly we have to say goodbye to some of the founding members of the girls section. Our captain Sara Ward made a presentation to the two coaches and a rousing speech at the end of what turned out to be a fantastic day. One special mention goes to the first girl who ventured into the unknown 5 or was it 6 years ago. Badgered by her Dad to come down to a wet and windy Big Field, she duly obliged and brought two mates. After the first ten minutes, one had been violently sick and the other one found the sweety stall more appealing. She has been the stalwart of the team since day one and has gone on to represent Surrey and the South East and the South. The girls section now boasts over 40 playing members at two age groups. This couldn't have been without you. WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE KIRSTY. Thanks
19th Feb
Dorking U-18 39 v Solent Sirens
U-18 39.
In a thrilling encounter
between two evenly matched sides, a last minute converted try
brought Dorking back from the brink of defeat, which would have
been a harsh result given their effort and endeavour.
On a beautiful, crisp Spring
like afternoon, Dorking entertained a Solent side who have
enjoyed a mixed season. Both sides suffered from weakened
playing numbers, due to half term but the game started at 13
aside. Bolstered by their England U-20 player, who was
outstanding throughout the match, the visiting team tried to
play a similar type of game to Dorking. Fast and pacey in their
backs, enjoying quick ball from the forwards in the rucks and
mauls. This made the contest end to end and hence the very high
scoring. In the initial exchanges the Dorking side had the edge
in the scrum, whilst the Sirens definitely had the advantage in
the line out.
On reflection, the Dorking side
will look back and rue the amount of first up tackles missed.
Far too often, the Sirens were allowed to break the defence,
which resulted in a large amount of territory lost. They will
also know that when they ran straight and from deep they created
several scoring opportunities out wide. However they can be
proud of the way they stuck to the task and came back from 39 -
27 in the last 4 minutes. Again star of the show for Dorking was
Kay Wilson ably assisted by Kirsty Irvine. In the forwards Becky
Salmon and Amy Irvine were prominent but the game was soured by
an injury to captain Sara Ward who is unlikely to play again
this season.
On the whole a fair result.
8th Jan - Surrey/Sussex U18 5 v 24 Canada U19
Four Dorking girls represented Surrey/Sussex Combined U18 v Canada U19. In driving rain Canada led at half time 5.0 which was probably a fair reflection of the game given the conditions. Canada won the 2nd half 19-5 proving their touring status against a scratch joint county side. All Dorking girls contributed very well not only on the pitch but also with their rousing display of Land of Hope and Glory before the kick off. t Photo by Scrumpix 9th Dec
Dorking U-18 79 v Mitcham/Sutton &
Epsom 12.
There was some doubt on the
Saturday whether this match would be played. Thankfully the weather
didn't worsen on the Sunday and the excellent top pitches were
playable.
Mitcham/Sutton & Epsom are
relatively new to this age group but arrived full of enthusiasm and
with a full squad. Due to their relative inexperience, they decided
to award us the match 40 - 0, which is the maximum under league
rules. This made the match a bit surreal for the Dorking team and
they had difficulty in coping with the concept of winning before the
game kicked off.
This reflected in the early
exchanges. Not knowing what to expect, M/S&E started full of spirit
and endeavour. The Dorking team were a bit shell shocked in the
beginning but after the initial exchanges, they started to dominate
the open play with their speed and guile. The forwards certainly
knew they were in a battle but eventually got the better of their
larger opposition, to create plentiful ball for the Dorking
speedsters in the backs. Tries were shared around with most of the
backs scoring, with Ellie McWilliam's try probably the best of the
lot.
Credit to M/S&E who never gave up
and were rewarded with a couple of consolation tries, which was duly
merited.
With 7 Dorking players in the
Surrey squad and a number of injuries, the last 4 weeks have been
very disjointed. The cohesion that you normally associate with this
team was evidently lacking, due to this commitment. Thankfully we
now have several weeks together to work on the team, during which we
will face much stiffer opposition in the league.
Dorking now lie second in the
league on points difference behind Welwyn, who are our last
opponents of the season.
11th Nov
DORKING U-18 GIRLS 71 V AYLESFORD 0
Unfortunately the visitors had a
number of call off''s on the Sunday morning and the game had to be
reduced to 12 aside. Playing in front of the clubhouse before a good
crowd, Dorking entertained their opponents for the first time in the
South East League One match. With the elements in their favour the
Dorking's forwards started immediately to provide good ball for
the talented back line. The backs used the wide open spaces to great
advantage, running in tries from all over the pitch. Kay Wilson was
again outstanding and the opposition had huge difficulty in matching
her pace and undoubted ability. Sophia Cartmel also had a field day,
scoring three tries.
Apart from several fine individual
performances, the most pleasing aspect of the game, was how well
Dorking worked as a team. This will stand them in good stead for
sterner tests in the league.
Amy Irvine was voted player of the
match for her ferocious tackling and continual support play, which
resulted in two tries.
14th October 07 -Esher U-18 girls 12 v Dorking U-18 girls 43 In a bright, warm autumnal day, Dorking started their league campaign with an away fixture at Esher. Dorking started in their usual manner ie slowly. After absorbing some heavy Esher pressure, Dorking secured ruck ball on their own line and managed to move it to Kay Wilson who then proceeded to sprint the length of the field to score under the posts. Rachael Abbott converted. From the kick off Esher again camped in the Dorking 22, only for the same player to repeat the treatment, again converted by Abbott, This gave the team some confidence and once they woke up they played with pace, skill and fluency which hasn't been seen for some time. The forwards dominated in the scrum and the loose, with Charlie Collard and Hannah Headland prominant. The star of the show, Kay Wilson added a further two tries, with Lottie Husband, Charlie Collard and Hannah Headland completing the try fest. Rachael converted two more. Esher never gave up and scored two tries towards the end. A very pleasing display with both forwards and backs working in tandem to produce a satisfying opening victory. |
We would like to thank the fo
01306 877 732
reigate@myhomeplc.com
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Dorking Rugby Football Club, The Pavilion, The Big Field, Brockham, Surrey RH3 7LZ ( 01737 844282 |
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