Womens Match Reports

Storm Amy blew into town but didn’t stop the women from playing their first home game of the season.

West saw a several players out with injuries and others playing out of position but they started strongly and pinned Wymondham in their 22 for the first 20 minutes. The high levels of penalties for both sides meant that the game didn’t get going and both sides struggle to string together any meaningful plays.

On 25 minutes West’s Centre Eleanor Navrady-Wright was carded for not retreating and this gave Wymondham the space they needed to run in three tries in quick succession. West steadied the ship and strong runs from debutant Eva Kalabina and huge defensive tackles for Fullback OJ Middleton-Jones kept West in the game.

West lost Middleton-Jones to a head injury near the end of the first half, in a try saving tackle but Wymondham scored once more and went in 0:24 ahead at half-time.

West came back strongly in the second half, winning scrums against the head, stealing lineouts galore and pulling off rolling mauls that the Red Roses would be proud of! The pressure on Wymondham resulted in a high penalty count and a couple of yellow cards, and West capitalized through Lara Mount running in her first try for West Norfolk. West should have awarded a penalty try but some confusion from the Ref saw it given as a scrum instead, with yet another card for Wymondham.

The play was back a forth for the rest of the game, more yellow cards followed, with Wymondham more clinical in their finishing and scoring three more tries and winning the game 5:39.

Coach Jane Middleton-Jones said, “whilst it wasn’t the result we wanted, I think the team put in a big effort today and their heads didn’t drop once. The score doesn’t reflect the guts they showed and it always a good day when you get to spend it playing rugby with your mates”

Back of the Match was Eva Kalabina and Forward of the Match was Ruth Denham, sponsored by Adrian Flux Insurance.

A wonderfully sunny day at Gatehouse Lane saw the Women join the Men in being crowned League Champions!

A competitive @southwoldwomensrugby team meant it wasn’t easy but the best games are those that are hard-fought for!

Sunday’s long awaited, top of the table clash between West Norfolk and Colchester Iceni got off with a bang; from kick-off the two premier teams in the league threw everything at each other in a physical battle.

West, with the bigger, more experienced pack hit the breakdowns hard and recycled quickly, every impact driving Colchester backwards. Suddenly on 4 minutes they released the Backs and Freya Gracie, burst through the defense to score West’s opening try with the ever reliable Jade Nicholson making the conversion.

From the restart Colchester rallied, realising they couldn’t take the play through the central channel they spun the ball out to the wings, but crunching tackles from West wingers OJ Middleton-Jones and Jess Milnes shut them down repeatedly. West’s pressure led to a turnover 10 yards from their line, but an unforced handling error allowed Colchester to re-gather the ball and run in an easy, unconverted try.

West sprinted back to the restart and resumed pressure, the play was end to end with both sides producing huge defensive efforts to shut each other out. West dominated the set piece, winning three against the head in the first half, one giving an ideal platform for Gracie to run in her second try

Once again the visitors reset and came back at West, once more they scored but didn’t convert. West sensed the need to push for another score before the break and after a few more near misses, they got the ball to Jess Milnes who turned on the gas and left the defense behind, taking West into the break 19:10 ahead.

Captain EJ Watson gave a rousing half-time talk and  West Women were raring to go again. It didn’t talk long for some slick passing to pay off and once again Milnes was released from her wing, from the half-way line she beat 4 defenders and ran in under the posts, again Nicholson converted.

Colchester’s Backs had really stepped things up in the second half, pulling off lovely switches and loops and only thanks to body on the line stuff from West were they kept at bay, but still they scored the next two tries and with 10 minutes to go West only had a 6 point lead.

But West never let their heads drop and despite both sides being tired and suffering injury replacements once more they pushed on. Hard runs by the exhausted forwards kept pushing Colchester back. They thought they had it won with a scrum on the 5m line, only to lose their only scrum of the day – but the Backs quickly rewon the ball and from a breakdown Fly-Half Meg Burrough saw the gap and wove through the mass of Iceni players to score. One more conversion for Nicholson, four for the day, saw a massive celebration from the sidelines and the balcony and shortly after the whistle blew for full time, West Norfolk 33: 20 Colchester Iceni.

Backs Coach James Burroughs said “Well, what an absolute cracker, even the Coaches feel like they’ve played. To beat a high-flying Iceni team in what can only be described as a battle is a massive achievement. Each and every players made a statement of their intention and commitment to the team. So very proud”

Forward of the Match: Alice Middleton-Jones, sponsored by Nimmo Industrial Buildings

Back of the Match : OJ Middleton-Jones, sponsored by BPE Consultancy.

West are now sat at the top of the NC2 Midlands East table with an 11 point lead, with 10 points left to play for, it seems that they may well have this in the bag! Next game: 23^rd March, vs. Woodbridge, at Gatehouse Lane, kick-off 3pm.

Five-try Jess Milnes helped West Norfolk return to the league summit with a big win against Crusaders at Gatehouse Lane.

With Colchester Iceni playing on Saturday, West Norfolk Ladies went into Sunday’s game second in the league – a position that they were keen to quickly reverse. Crusaders had struggled to field a full team, but rather than taking the walkover West decided to loan players and shorten the playing time to keep the game on.

Whilst West knew that they had the superior experience and skills they weren’t taking anything for granted, they were out of the blocks quickly and recycling the ball at pace, resulting in five tries in the first 15 minutes.

However, their control at the breakdown led to multiple penalties and the need to slow the pace and focus on the basics.

Ruth Denham controlled the forwards in the central channel well, with strong pods and individual runs, releasing her fellow forwards Cora Hunter, Freya Gracie, Poppy Wakefield and Eleanor Navrady to run in more tries.

Fly-half Meg Burrough worked well with scrum-half Tiff Turner in getting some quick ball to the backs and sending it down the line to speedster Milnes who secured her hat-trick within 40 minutes.

The home side led 54-0 at half-time.

Whilst the second half didn’t improve in terms of scores for Crusaders their scrum became more competitive, and their defence shut down West much more in the open play. However, West were always going to run in more tries, with Burroughs deciding to get in on the action and Milnes running in two more to finish on five for the day.

The forwards were relentless, Navrady, after three months out with an ankle injury, announced her return with a hat-trick, Hunter showing incredible speed and agility for a prop-forward scored four and Gracie added another to her tally.

Jade Nicholson, West Norfolk and the league’s top points scorer added another 28 to her points total of the season, now sat at 131.

The game was called after 60 minutes at 108-0 to West, and everyone enjoyed the post-match awards together.

Forward of the Match: Ruth Denham, sponsored by Adrian Flux Insurance.

Back of the Match: Jess Milnes, sponsored by Maze Media.

The next game is at home to rivals Colchester on February 23 (3pm).

It had been three long months since the West Women played at Gatehouse Lane and were out of the block like rockets. Within five minutes of kick off, the league’s top try scorer, Megan Burroughs, opened her score sheet with a blistering run from within her own half to score under the posts, neatly converted by the League’s top point scorer, fullback Jade Nicholson.

Lakenham immediately showed their increased resilience and bounced straight back to quickly bag their own score, putting both teams on the board.

West regrouped and went back to basics, with the forwards driving down the middle of the pitch and the backs moving the ball wide. Strong runs by Number 8 Poppy Wakefield and Flanker Freya Gracie made big gains for the home team and on 17 minutes, Wakefield powered over the line and kicked off a golden five minutes for West, with a try apiece for scrum-half Amber Wadlow and Gracie; Nicholson then converting all three.

West continued to dominate but Lakenham competed well at the breakdown, applying some pressure. However, they were not able to keep up with the pace of West, enabling Front Row Cora Hunter to break through their line and run in her first score under the posts. Nicholson slotted the conversion over the sticks and West went into the break 33:5 ahead.

From the restart, West continued where they left off and once again it was Burroughs who crossed the line for the first try of the half, with Nicholson converted. Handling errors denied West the chance to score a couple of tries, but their presence in the Lakenham 22-yard zone was unwavering and the opponents could only resist for so long. Once again, it was Wakefield powering through to score.

West momentarily lost their grip on the game and gave away three unnecessary penalties in quick succession, enabling Lakenham to make ground through their sniping fullback, weaving through a slow to retreat defence to get their second try.

But – West’s Captain EJ Watson gathered the squad and refocused them, immediately returning with attacking pressure through Hunter making another massive breakthrough run, only being stopped by a last-gasp tackle a few yards out. The ever-reliable Ruth Denham recycled and scored under the posts once more and up stepped Nicholson to successfully convert, much to rapturous celebration from her teammates and spectators as she hit 100 points for the season.

One more try for Gracie and another conversion for Nicholson gave West a well-deserved first home win of 2025, in this, the Club’s Centenary Year.

Head Coach Jane Middleton-Jones was delighted; “It’s a bit bonkers really! Top of the League, Top Try scorer and top overall point scorer! We worked them really hard this week to get back to basics and have fun playing doing it, and I think you can see by their faces that this one felt special!”

Back of the Match: Jade Nicholson, sponsored by Ardonagh Advisory

Forward of the Match: Freya Gracie: available to sponsor

Next game: 9^th Feb, away to Crusader, next home game, 23^rd Feb vs. Colchester

It had been three long months since the West Women played at Gatehouse Lane and were out of the block like rockets. Within five minutes of kick off, the league’s top try scorer, Megan Burroughs, opened her score sheet with a blistering run from within her own half to score under the posts, neatly converted by the League’s top point scorer, fullback Jade Nicholson.

Lakenham immediately showed their increased resilience and bounced straight back to quickly bag their own score, putting both teams on the board.

West regrouped and went back to basics, with the forwards driving down the middle of the pitch and the backs moving the ball wide. Strong runs by Number 8 Poppy Wakefield and Flanker Freya Gracie made big gains for the home team and on 17 minutes, Wakefield powered over the line and kicked off a golden five minutes for West, with a try apiece for scrum-half Amber Wadlow and Gracie; Nicholson then converting all three.

West continued to dominate but Lakenham competed well at the breakdown, applying some pressure. However, they were not able to keep up with the pace of West, enabling Front Row Cora Hunter to break through their line and run in her first score under the posts. Nicholson slotted the conversion over the sticks and West went into the break 33:5 ahead.

From the restart, West continued where they left off and once again it was Burroughs who crossed the line for the first try of the half, with Nicholson converted. Handling errors denied West the chance to score a couple of tries, but their presence in the Lakenham 22-yard zone was unwavering and the opponents could only resist for so long. Once again, it was Wakefield powering through to score.

West momentarily lost their grip on the game and gave away three unnecessary penalties in quick succession, enabling Lakenham to make ground through their sniping fullback, weaving through a slow to retreat defence to get their second try.

But – West’s Captain EJ Watson gathered the squad and refocused them, immediately returning with attacking pressure through Hunter making another massive breakthrough run, only being stopped by a last-gasp tackle a few yards out. The ever-reliable Ruth Denham recycled and scored under the posts once more and up stepped Nicholson to successfully convert, much to rapturous celebration from her teammates and spectators as she hit 100 points for the season.

One more try for Gracie and another conversion for Nicholson gave West a well-deserved first home win of 2025, in this, the Club’s Centenary Year.

Head Coach Jane Middleton-Jones was delighted; “It’s a bit bonkers really! Top of the League, Top Try scorer and top overall point scorer! We worked them really hard this week to get back to basics and have fun playing doing it, and I think you can see by their faces that this one felt special!”

Back of the Match: Jade Nicholson, sponsored by Ardonagh Advisory

Forward of the Match: Freya Gracie: available to sponsor

Next game: 9^th Feb, away to Crusader, next home game, 23^rd Feb vs. Colchester

After an eight week break, the first game of 2025 saw West’s Women travel to Diss where the home team were struggling with getting a full team sheet, so West loaned two players to ensure the match went ahead.

Wintery conditions and a waterlogged pitch meant that the game was slow to get going and the West back line saw little of the ball. After a couple of disallowed tries, West’s top point scorer Jade Nicholson converted a penalty to start the scoreboard ticking over.

West had most of the possession during the opening quarter, but handling errors and lots of stoppages meant the score remained static for both sides, until Rosie Lingham took advantage from the back of a ruck and quickly recycled the ball on the 5m line to dive over for the first try.

West upped the pace, moving the ball better and pushing back Diss with line breaks, culminating in fly-half Sarah Hodgson scoring another try to see West head in 0:13 at half time.

From the restart, West were like different players. They continued to turn over every Diss scrum and steal the ball at breakdown and whilst the conditions didn’t allow for the normal free-flowing play that West love, they still had brilliant runs from forwards Cora Hunter and Ella Fuller-Saunders, alongside Centre Jess Milnes. Poppy Wakefield – who returned at Number 8 – and Second Row Ruth Denham were bouncing Diss players out of their way to drive the play forward, with the visiting backs getting involved at the breakdown to keep the play flowing.

The dominant scrums paid off in the third quarter when West pushed Diss backwards, Wakefield picked up the ball at the base of the scrum, bounced two defending players off and ran in a great individual try out wide.

Nicholson and the other West back line repeatedly crashed into the Diss defence, driving them backwards, with Nicholson quickly scoring and converting her own try. West weren’t letting Diss out of their own half, with every attack being turned over, showing the strength of West’s game play.

Soon after, another forward try came from repeated attacking phases by West on the Diss 5m line, battering the home side until they couldn’t withstand the pressure any more and Fuller-Saunders carried three defenders over the line to score, with Nicholson neatly converting.

One final try came for Nicholson, giving her 17 points for the day and West started their Centenary Year with a win and 37 points against Diss.

Coach James Burroughs said “We’ve got players out of position; many suffering from illnesses and Diss have greatly improved since we last played then, but our team showed their commitment to each other and kept another clean sheet – proud of them!”

Forward of the Match: Rosie Lingham sponsored by Fendick’s Fisheries

Back of the Match: Meg Burroughs. Sponsored by The Foot Fairy

West Women’s next game is at home, Gatehouse Lane North Wootton, on Sunday 19^th Jan, 2pm kick off. #UpTheWest!

West Women travelled to Colchester for the ‘top of the table’ clash, with Colchester scoring the opening try.

Fly-Half Georgie Lingham and inside-centre partner Sarah Hodgson disrupted every Colchester attack, enabling Lingham to snipe the ball at a breakdown on the 22 and race in under the posts for West’s first score, fullback Jade Nicholson converting.

An attacking scrum from West provided scrum-half Amber Wadlow with the platform for Lingham to kick downfield and after quick phases, Colchester gave away a penalty, quickly taken by Hodgson who popped to Lingham to score her second.

Colchester rallied, with both teams putting in huge defensive efforts. A converted try from the home team raised their spirits but West bounced back immediately with a try from debutant Freya Gracie which Lingham converted. Jess Milnes replaced an injured Nicholson and immediately made an impact, easily outpacing Colchester on the flanks, taking multiple defenders to stop her. Milnes was rewarded with a long-range try, followed by one more from Lingham, converted by Milnes to send West in 19:31 at half-time.

The second half resumed with the same pace, although West were soon back in Colchester’s 22. Hooker Emma Faulkner dominated the lineouts, with one producing a massive driving maul that Colchester couldn’t stop, then releasing Wadlow to score.

Colchester kept pushing back but West’s strong defence resisted, forcing errors and sending Colchester backwards. The forward pack stepped up, pressuring the hosts scrum after scrum and dominating every breakdown, but injuries started to creep in.

Colchester’s winger made a break on the wing until a last-gasp tackle from Lingham stopped her just short of the line, but quick recycling and hands down the line resulted in a converted try for the Iceni.

West immediately went back on the attack from the restart, forcing a penalty that Lingham kicked to touch. The West lineout led to another driving maul, with Flanker Alice Middleton-Jones spotting the opportunity and running in the try close to the posts which Nicholson, who had returned to the field, converted.

Colchester called the game early due to injuries and the West Women celebrated a wonderful, hard-fought win 26:43

Head Coach Jane Middleton-Jones said “I am so, so proud  – not just of the Team’s performance today but of all the hard work, training and focus that got them to this point. Colchester are a great team, and this was a brutal, brilliant game – we laid everything on the line and I couldn’t be happier”

Back of the Match: Sarah Hodgson

Forward of the Match: Alice Middleton-Jones, sponsored by Nimmo Industrial Buildings

Next Game: Away to Woodbridge on 14^th December 1pm kick-off with the West Norfolk Men playing straight afterward

Top of the table West Norfolk Women welcomed Crusaders for the fourth game of their Centenary Season, with Crusaders bringing 14 players but determined to play without any rule changes.

West came out of the blocks fast, with the forwards forcing them to immediately scramble their defence. Big hits from Jenna Moxey drove them further back, with a quick pass from Team GB’s Georgie Lingham releasing Number 8 Poppy Wakefield to crash through and score after two minutes, which fullback Jade Nicholson neatly converted.

A solid scrum gave West their next attacking platform, with Scrum-Half Amber Wadlow controlling the forwards. A swift pass through the centres found OJ Middleton-Jones who then sprinted half the pitch to score under the posts, with Nicholson making another conversion.

Crusaders struggled to exit their own half, unable to cope with the relentless attacks from West’s Second Row players. More tries quickly came for Captain EJ Watson; two for the League’s top scorer, Megan Burroughs, and another two for Wakefield.

Prop Cora Hunter put in one of her trademark runs from half-way, whilst Georgie Lingham scored before pulling off an audacious kick, which OJ Middleton-Jones managed to once more collect and run in under the posts. Nicholson added more conversions and West led 64:0 at half time.

In the break, West made big changes, bringing on Club stalwarts and Eastern Counties players Rosie Lingham and Eleanor Navrady, in addition to replacing Georgie Lingham with Jess Milnes. Within minutes, she had run in two tries, showing incredible agility and weaving through the whole field. Nicholson, not content with just kicking points, added her own converted try before Alice Middleton-Jones scored, with one more for Milnes and Burroughs then getting her hat-trick.

With the win definitively in the bag at 60 minutes, both coaches decided to call the game, and the rest of the match was played as a friendly. West Norfolk loaned players to the visitors, showing the true spirit of the sport.

16 tries from West and 12 conversions from Nicholson saw West break all previous records and take the win 104:0

Captain EJ Watson said “104 points, well that’s just amazing, but I’m also so proud that we played with such intensity, discipline and respect. I absolutely love being part of this team!”

(L-R) Forward of the Match: Aaliyah Featherby, sponsored by Bespoke Construction Group

Back of the Match: Megan Burroughs, sponsored by the Foot Fairy

Top of the table West Women travelled to Lakenham Union, testing out some new players and changes in the pack. Despite an early try from Captain EJ Watson, West had an uncharacteristically slow start, making several errors and struggling to execute their usual dynamic, attacking moves.

Lakenham applied pressure for much of the first quarter, however, West’s defence was like a brick wall with no quarter given, with Georgie Lingham’s defensive kicking denying the Norwich team any ground.

In the second quarter West settled with the back row of Eleanor Navrady, Rosie Lingham and newcomer Poppy Wakefield making repeated line breaks. When Sarah Hodgson carved through the defence on the halfway line and released Megan Burroughs to run in a 40m try, West came alive, and the energy came back into their game.

West stretched the field wide and deep, with Fullback Jade Nicolson punching through the defensive line to reap the rewards. Another try each for Watson and Burroughs, plus one for Lingham – all converted by fullback Jade Nicholson – saw West leading at half time 0-29.

With the West forwards dominant from the restart, an early try from hooker Rosie Lingham then saw all the forwards making impactful runs and delivering polished set plays, giving West perfect attacking platforms.

Cora Hunter joined the backs in an attacking position in the visitors’ half, outsmarting the Lakenham defence to run in her first 50m try. West were then rarely out of the Lakenham side of the pitch for most of the second half, with the only score from the home side coming from an unconverted try.

With West keeping up the intensity up for the full 80 minutes, yet more tries came from Navrady muscling her way over the line and two more from hat trick player, Cora Hunter. West’s backs still made moves across the pitch, resulting in further tries for both Nicholson and winger Emily Jenner.

Forwards Coach Devlin Crowhurst said “It’s not just the win – it’s the way you win, the defence gave them nothing and every time we broke out, we scored. Overall, it was an exceptional performance.”

Forward of the Match: debutant Poppy Wakefield

Back of the Match: Jade Nicholson – sponsored by Ardonagh Advisory Group

Next Game: we welcome Crusaders on Sunday 20th at Gatehouse Lane, King’s Lynn with a 3pm kick off, so please come along and support!

#UptheWest!

West Women’s 1^st XV welcomed Diss Vixens to Gatehouse Lane for their first home game, taking the numbers advantage over a Diss team that was struggling with illness and injuries.

The game started with West pilling on the pressure, forcing Diss into early handling errors. West’s first scrum saw number 8 Eleanor Navrady take the ball from the base of the scrum, creating an overlap and passing to winger Megan Burroughs who ran in the first try.

West’s forward pack worked hard to secure field position, allowing the backs to line up deep and move the ball to speedster Jess Milnes, swiftly running in her first senior try at Gatehouse Lane. After a failed restart, Diss was unable to resist the pressure from the West which saw a series of tries run in by the home team, with conversions added by kicker Jade Nicholson.

The opening of the second half saw a resilient but struggling Diss lose a scrum against the head, expertly hooked by Rosie Lingham. Navrady carried the ball up field before passing once more to EJ Watson who out-paced the defence to score. Diss lost a prop and their number 8 in quick succession, with the unrelenting pace of West’s play seeing another try for Milnes, taking her score to four home tries.

With the victory in the bag, a kick from Lingham created a mid-field opportunity that saw Cora Hunter diving over for what was the last play of the game. Both sides agreed to end the fixture early, with player safety being paramount for a reduced Diss squad.

Backs coach James Burroughs said “I’m really happy with the Women’s performance today; they have worked hard all throughout the off-season on a defensive plan which is starting to come to fruition. The tries we scored are great but to keep the score against us at zero is a massive positive”.

Back of the Match: EJ Watson, sponsored by Jem Packaging

Forward of the Match: Cora Hunter, sponsored by Ward Gethin Archer

Next up is away to Lakenham Union on 13^th October, returning to Gatehouse Lane 20^th October against Crusaders.

WEST WOMENS 1^st XV v SOUTHWOLD

Final score: Southwold 5 – West Norfolk Women 52

Sunday saw the start of the Rugby Season for West Norfolk Women and a return to the Eastern Counties leagues, heading away to Southwold’s grounds in Suffolk.

This fixture has not always been a happy hunting ground for West, so Head Coach Jane Middleton-Jones was pleased to be taking a full squad and had briefed the team that a strong start and relentless intensity was needed to start West Norfolk’s Centenary Season with a bang.

Paying close attention to that brief, the squad showed intent from the start with the forwards making big hits and the twin threats of Eastern Counties players Rosie Lingham and Eleanor Navrady making multiple impactful runs early on. Navrady was rewarded by a try on the five-minute mark with the Southwold defense unable to stop her powering over the line. Last year’s top try scorer, fullback Jade Nicholson, neatly converted.

A difficult period saw multiple Southwold injuries in quick succession, with penalty infringements stopping West from being able to replicate their trademark free-flowing rugby and punishing them with the home side pinning West in their 22 for an agonizingly long 15 minutes until Southwold broke the deadlock, scoring a well-deserved but unconverted try out wide on the wing.

The restart gave West time to regroup and refocus, immediately seeing those aggressive West Forwards putting in huge hits and recycling the ball quickly, not giving Southwold the time to defend. Within 60 seconds West were once again on the Southwold line and at the breakdown, the sniping scrum-half Tiff Turner spotted a gap and dived over for West’s second try.

With West stepping up a gear, an intense period of attacking play from the team saw breakaway runs only just stopped short by Southwold’s gutsy defense and the odd self-inflicted handling error, but the home team could only hold out for so long before winger Megan Burroughs took the ball on her own at the West 22 yard line, accelerating past Southwold to run the length of the pitch and tap her well-deserved try down under the posts which Nicholson once again converted. West led 5:19 at Half-Time.

After the break, the forwards were dominating the set-pieces with Rosie Lingham winning scrums against the head and stealing balls at the Southwold line-out. Fly-Half Georgie Lingham ramped up the tempo once more, with missed passes and looping runs – the West backs were now having fun with some expansive play that saw the centre partnership of Sarah Hodgson and captain EJ Watson moving the ball fluidly out to the wings, resulting in Burroughs and OJ Middleton-Jones making strong runs and setting up Georgie Lingham for another try for West.

Halfway through the second half it was just one-way traffic, with Southwold trying to defend the moves but West were unrelenting in attack; in the space of just five minutes, there were tries for EJ Watson and two more for Georgie Lingham, all converted by Nicholson.

And yet still West continued to look for more, with new player Lucy Cundell bringing some big hits and power to the back line, working well with her new squad. In the final five minutes of the game, Hodgson took a pop pass from Georgie Lingham on the half-way line and clearly wanted a try of her own, running and weaving to get herself to the Southwold line and tapping down for West’s final try in the corner – Nicholson converted from the sideline, on yet another impressive day of kicking from her.

Head Coach Jane Middleton-Jones said “First games can be challenging, but we’re delighted with the way they played today; you can tell that we trained all through off season! The brief was simple – never take the foot off the gas – no matter what the score – and everyone kept the intensity up for the full 80 minutes. What a great way to kick off our Centenary Season!”

Forward of the Match – Eleanor Navrady

Back of the Match – Tiff Turner

Next up sees West Women hosting visitors Diss at Gatehouse Lane on Sunday 22^nd September with a 2:00pm kick off – come along and support! #UptheWest

The Gatehouse Lane outfit defeated higher-league Wymondham and hosts Diss in the final to lift the prestigious trophy on a sun-soaked Sunday. Coach Jane Middleton-Jones said “What a brilliant way to end an awesome season. It hasn’t all been easy, but how these women have evolved and stuck to the plan means they deserve this.

“I want to thank all our supporters today – you spurred the team on.”

Led by captain EJ Watson, the ladies were welcomed back fly-half Georgie Lingham from her time out with a broken hand after the Hong Kong Sevens. A strong squad included two sets of sisters and the mother-and-daughter combo of Charlotte and Raven Wales.

West Norfolk faced old adversaries Wymondham in their first game of the day, and heated competitions ensued, taking the standard of rugby to an even higher level and providing a fantastic spectacle for all the supporters who where there for a glorious day of the very best of rugby.

https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/sport/cup-of-joy-for-west-norfolk-ladies-9365483/

Ashfield Ladies 7 – 54 West Norfolk Warriors

West Warriors took to the road for their first game of 2024, with West exploding out of the blocks with a second minute try for Megan Burroughs, converted by Jade Nicholson. Ashfield responded quickly, pushing down the middle of the field and being rewarded with their own converted try after 10 minutes.

Tally Read punched holes in the defense but Ashfield, who had a physically bigger pack, managed to resist. However, at 20 minutes, fast hands got the ball to OJ Middleton-Jones on the wing, running in an 80m try to tap down under the posts, which Nicholson converted.

Ashfield continued to play aggressive rugby, but West forwards laid their bodies on the line, making tackle after tackle. Georgie Lingham (no 10) sent the ball left and right, resulting in repeated line breaks by West players, before then making her own break on the left wing, fending off tacklers and running in her own try, again converted by Nicholson.

West continued to play smart rugby for the rest of the first half – moving the ball wide and scoring two more tries before half-time: another try on the wing for Burroughs; the other carried by Ruth Denham, passing to a flying Eleanor Navrady who grounded the ball under the posts before Nicholson once again slotted over the conversion.

Coming back for the second half, at 48 minutes a West scrum on halfway was perfectly coordinated by no 9 Amber Wadlow, who released Lingham to immediately run in her second try under the posts; Nicholson once more converted.

West continued to make repeated visits to the opposition half, enabling Lingham to get her third try, helped by a slick lineout from sister Rosie and squad captain, EJ Watson. With an injured Nicholson off, experienced kicker Tiffany Turner successfully converted.

A brutal last quarter saw several stoppages for injuries but West continued to apply pressure, once more breaking the line and shaking off Ashfield to get the ball to Georgie Lingham for her fourth and West’s eighth try. Turner once more converted the try before the referee stopped play early due to a serious injury to an Ashfield player.

Forward of the Match – Ruth Denham

Back of the Match – Tally Read

West Warriors 14 – 22 Mellish Ladies

Both sides fielded a full team sheet, with the game competitive from the off – Mellish’s heavier forward pack immediately challenged West at the breakdown with forceful counter-rucking and forced a number of handling errors from West. Mellish exploited that slight advantage and ran in a handful of tries through a combination of ball carrying through the centre and popping the ball out to the wing to score.

Half-time saw West gather their focus and come out with a determined mindset, led by experienced West scrum half and Back of the Match Amber Wadlow who slowed the pace of the game and enabled West to dominate Mellish, culminating in her own superb try which was then slotted over with an outstanding kick from Zoe Sharp.

West continued to put Mellish under constant pressure, with a notable break from Forward of the Match Cora Hunter, supported by newly energised backs. Kayleigh Ross made her debut for West and immediately showed why she was fielded, putting in hard tackles and great catches. West’s forward pack were formidable, making tackles and running an offloading game that saw Fly Half Sarah Hodge breaking free and grounding a superb try under the posts, converted by Tiffany Turner.

After a yellow card for Mellish and with the ferocity of the game increasing, West ran out of time on the clock and were unable to execute what was a textbook game plan for the second half.

West take to the road again on December 3rd 2023, headed to Kesteven.

Forward of the Match – Cora Hunter

Back of the Match – Amber Wadlow

Photography Credit – Ed Navrady