Newbold 7 Old Leamingtonians 26

Comets went to Newbold on Avon R.F.C. on wednesday night to help open their new floodlights. On a bitterly cold night the Comets came out eventual winners with both packs giving there all in a great game of rugby.

Both teams tried to play attacking rugby and only the Comets upper hand in the backs secured victory. Try scorers were Ruth Castalino, Sally Rowberry,Sophie Rowley and Kiri Shuttleworth. Sally converted one and Sophie two.

The  M.V.P. was Holly Crawford, the Comets scrum half who passed accurately and ran with aplomb, displayed good decision-making skills and pestered their forwards for the whole game.

Well done to all the players as this was truly a team effort.

Remember… What Goes on Tour Stays on Tour!

Butlins, Bognor Regis  2007

A fabulous time had by all at Butlins, Bognor Regis. A quickly passable Victorian coastal town for the wealthy land owners of the 19th century and the rich of London.

That was until 20 Mid Warwickshire Comets Girls arrived complete in cowgirl gear and six shooters. At times these were needed for the three thousand plus boys who thought Christmas had come early. But those boy`s, they  didn`t reckon on the toughness and wit of our own Annie Oakley in the shape of Kiri Shuttleworth and her side kick Phoebe Howles.

It was decided that a fair curfew time was 12.00 midnight on the Friday, when all things go pear shaped especially if your name is Cinderella. The girls obliged with fantastic time keeping and were all tucked up in bed by 12.05.( Ha Ha)

The next day we played at Portsmouth R.F.C. versus Esher and we unfortunately lost 15-10. This was in stifling heat and on concrete ground. We had  a serious injury to Kiri Bennetts knee. It looked like she had a cauliflower growing on her knee but it turned out to be a massive haematoma. Sophie Clements was also not happy about her broken little finger.
Girl of the match was Fiona Jones and all the players did us proud with some great rugby.
Scorers were Kiri Shuttleworth and Hannah Breckons. Esher were good but the travesty was we `scored` but couldn’t find the try line with no posts on it! And secondly, their 2nd try, the girl was 95 metres off side!!!!!!

After the game we had a boat race with Shandy and Mars bars and of course we easily won that one with a team of Charlotte, Emily , Sophie ,Kiri ,Elspeth and Hannah.

Anyway back to Dodge City…… keeping the cowboys at bay and again the girls came in bang on time at 12.00 and were all tucked up in bed at 12.02. Amazing. It's all about trust you know. Fantastic.

On Sunday morning our very own Judge Jenny Hanlon presided over the mis-demeanors of the tour so far, complete with pickled eggs supplied by Sainsburys Delicatessen.
For anybody who had stepped out of line, you are saved from the wrath of your parents and carers, because tour ettiquette means we are not allowed to print any of the crimes! 

Later at Portsmouth R.F.C.
Portsmouth  Girls beaten 25-0, Scorers were Hannah Breckons , Holly Crawford , Kiri Shuttleworth and Fiona Jones. A lovely display of open rugby. The girls were really suffering now with knee and elbow abrasions and soft tissue injuries. Kiri Shuttleworth was girl of the match.

Last game versus a well slept and rested Havant team who beat us 15-0. We only had 12 fit players by this time and again the girls did us proud considering we played against two extra players in the second half. Girl of the match was Holly Crawford.

A splendid tour and a pleasure and a priviledge to take every body. Thanks to all parents and carers for your support - here's to next year!
We think we might go to... ... ...Jersey!

Sun cream, chocolate eggs and Vaseline.  Comets U17s enjoyed an Easter Day sevens tournament on a rock hard pitch in hot April sunshine at Thornbury in the West Country.

5 teams took part in this very closely matched round-robin, which saw several of the Comets squad play their first sevens event and gain valuable experience of this format.

A good start for the Comets, beating a strong host team Thornbury and an ‘on-tour’ Burton outfit. Comets were then edged out in a closely fought decisive contest with the eventual winners Drybrook of the Forest of Dean. The final game saw Taunton overcoming a tired and battered comets team who had already given everything in earlier stages.

Match 1: Thornbury 5 Comets 10.
Tries: Katie Smith, Kiri Bennett

Match 2: Comets 10 Burton 0.
Tries: Lauren Burke, Kiri Bennett

Match 3: Comets 10 Drybrook 15
Tries: Kiri Bennet, Kiri Shuttleworth

Match 4: Taunton 5 Comets 0.

This week’s visitors Stourbridge brought an experienced and strong team to The Crofts to face Comets U17 ladies. In near perfect conditions the game was played at a ferocious pace from start to finish and there was hardly anything to choose between the two teams.

Excellent forward play dominated the early exchanges as the game was played in the middle third of the pitch. Stourbridge eventually managed to approach the Comets line and a quick tap penalty caught the Comets defence sleeping for an easy 5 points.  It was a wake-up call for the Comets, whose level of concentration increased from that moment on.

Kiri Bennett continued her fine form when she finished an excellent team effort to go in the corner after great “surge and support” play.  This was well converted by Katie Smith to give the Comets a slender half time lead.

The second half was another close affair and both teams looked dangerous in most areas of play.  One score was always going to separate these teams - it went to Comets when further strong forward play in the visitors 22 was powerfully finished by Kim Morris.

This was Comets best game of the season so far and each player can be proud of their part as they “dug deep” to record victory – as even at the end Stourbridge were pressing the Comets line looking to get onto level terms.

Warwickshire Comets U17’s this week entertained Worcester. This was always going to be a difficult game for the home team who are well aware of the strength and quality of their opponents. Before the game, Coach RB asked his players to dig deep and play with courage and passion – and this they did.

On a sticky pitch and in very soggy conditions, both teams played tight controlled rugby. The visitors always looked the stronger side in possession during this half and scored 3 early tries and one “kick and chase” effort just before half time to secure the result.

The second half was a much closer affair, possession and territory were shared equally as the game ebbed and flowed and was very pleasing to the eye. Comets matched their opponents in every position and there was no further scoring. The teamwork and conviction shown in this second period of rugby should provide a platform for this young Comets side to progress in future matches.

Comets vs Melbourne 4 February 2007
Warwickshire Comets U17's entertained Melbourne of Derbyshire. On the back of consecutive hard-fought victorys over St James of Leicester , Comets played expansive and entertaining rugby to overwhelm the visitors with a 62 - 0 win. Four tries from the impressive Kiri Bennet and 2 from winger Holly Crawford higlighted this performance. Terrific handling, enterprising set-moves and well-practised forward to back transitions made this a sparkling perfomance in the winter sunshine.

Further tries from Charlotte Gray, Jenny Hanlon, Kiri Shuttleworth and Katie Smith emphasisied the victory. Smith also converted 6 times.

A special mention for 'tackle of the day' for Abby Cooper - channelled aggression at its best!!

Comets vs St Jimmies 21 January 2007
The Comets Under 17 Contact team went to Aylestone St James on Sunday 21 January. We played some delightful rugby and won 17-0 after 40 minutes of playing. The game was abandoned because on of their players went down with a serious injury.

We played some lovely off load rugby and also tackled exceptionally well to deny Aylestone any scores. Special thanks to Neil Shuttleworth for reffing at the last moment, even though the match was away.

Our try scorers were Kiri Bennett, Phoebe Howles and Katie Smith. Katie converted one.

Comets vs St Jimmies 7 January 2007
The Comets Under 17 team beat St Jimmies by 26 points to 12. Try scorees were Kiri Bennett (2), Kiri Shuttleworth and Kate Smith. Kate Smith converted three - one an absolute beauty from out wide.
This was a good performace by all the girls. Offloading was excellent in the 2nd half.

Thanks to Holly & Holly who didn't go to Bristol (it was rained off anyway). Special thanks to Sally and Phoebe whom we had to lend across.

The Under 14's also played with 6 girls from the Comets and 2 or 3 borrowed across. Comets won 26 points to 19.