Three In A Row
Sunday 27th May 2007
Cramberleigh’s U14s travelled to Leighton Buzzard to defend their National 7s title which they won at Harpenden last year. Preparation could not have better for the squad as in the last 2 weekends they had won both the London & SE 7s plus the Hertfordshire 7s.
A check on the draw revealed some clubs new to Cramberleigh as well as 'old friends' & with kick off time fast approaching a full squad was yet to arrive. One or two concerned phone calls gave a clue to the missing players, delays on the M1 & “we have had a puncture - my mum is changing the wheel while dad watches” so we were told!
However, all the players arrived in time for a short sharp warm up & took the field against one of the unknowns Witney Cherubs. 14 minutes later Cramberleigh had put down a marker for the rest of the teams with a comprehensive 61-0 win.
A less frantic warm up saw Cramberleigh take the field against Exeter Saracens, the result was another win 40-0. The final match of the first half of the draw was against Aylestone St James; again the squad proved to be to strong for the opposition with the result in excess of 40-0.
This put the squad through to the next part of the draw & after the usual considerable wait it was announced that three teams, Basford, Tylderloo Barbarians & Cramberleigh would take part in a round robin completion to produce the cup winner. First up would be Basford v Cramberleigh.
This was a repeat of last week’s regional final. Basford had learnt a lot from the previous week & did not intend to lose two on the trot. A tough match followed, but Cramberleigh always were in control & in the end took the spoils 14-0.
The final match for Cramberleigh was against the unknown Tylderloo Barbarians. A draw would be sufficient for Cramberleigh to retain their title. Tylderloo were a side whose forwards had practised mauling up & down the field. Maybe it was nerves as the girls wanted to take them on up front. However sense prevailed & once the girls started running the ball the scores came, with the final result being 42-0.
The squad had retained their title without conceding a point & it now must be said that in the 7s format of the game Cramberleigh’s girls are without equal, winning all their 7s competitions this season including:
Regional - London & SE 7s + Hertfordshire 7s
National - National 7s
International - Dubai 7s
Congratulations go to the squad for their commitment & scintillating rugby. Also once again a huge thank you to our dedicated coaching team of Charlie, John & Steve.
Players: Alex, Alice, Emma, Gemma, Harriet, Laura, Molly, Morgan, Nicole & Robyn
Adrian Connor
