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EAST LONDON VIXENS REVIEW OF SEASON 2019/2020
Gary Bird7 Jun 2020 - 17:51
Second place finish after ten victories
REPORT By SUKI YOUNG
East London’s women’s side the Vixens enjoyed a successful 2019/2020 season with a strong performance in National Challenge 1 East league, finishing in second position.
September 2019 marked the start of a very new season for the Vixens, introducing James Adamson as coach and an increased training programme of two sessions per week, reflecting the ladies’ commitment to the game and each other.
With last season’s captain Lucinda Thomas leaving for study reasons, the vacant skipper’s role was filled by scrum-half and the club’s joint social secretary, Aoife Farrell. If that wasn’t enough change for one season, as a result of the Rugby Football Union’s league reshuffle, the Vixens found themselves in the East division of the NC1, resulting in a number of three-hour coach journeys to the east coast.
The season kicked off with a string of away games, starting with a trip to the seaside at Harwich RFC. Despite a loss (37-24), the Vixens showed a lot of promise and potential with a new squad including five new players. With one game down and having shaken off the first game nerves, the Vixens looked forward to welcoming Woodbridge RFC. In the end it was a home walkover from opponents who didn’t travel to West Ham.
The Vixens were keen to build on their work on the training pitch with a trip to Lakenham Hewett RFC. Poor conditions and driving rain were as much of an opponent as Lakenham and after 30 minutes the team was down to just 15 players and no replacements due to injury. Tenacity won out with a 22-12 away win.
Next was another three-hour coach trip to Southwold RFC and a pitch open to the elements. With high winds and strict instructions not to kick the ball, the Vixens enjoyed a dominant performance in a 32-5 victory, building experience and confidence before what we knew was going to be one of the big matches of the season, away at old rivals Hackney RFC.
Hackney had run up some impressive scores in the season thus far, the Vixens knew it would be a battle and an opportunity to show the rest of the league exactly what we were made of.
Despite some last-minute changes in positions and a pitch that looked like no-man’s land, the Vixens put up an astonishing performance. Having honed their defensive skills over the past three games and on the training pitch, the team put up a near impenetrable wall for 70 minutes with the score level at 5-5. Tired legs and a swamp-like pitch unfortunately led to two late tries being conceded for a 15-5 loss, but it sparked a new hope that come the reverse home game at the end of the season, the score would be very different.
Having focused on defensive strategies, the Vixens turned their attention to attacking play. With dominant performances against Stanford Le Hope away (39-0) and our first home game against Romford RFC (31-0) without conceding any points, confidence and spirit as a team continued to grow.
Another walkover from Woodbridge RFC meant the Vixens finished 2019 third in the table and ready to take on the second half of the season with four back to back home games.
The team started 2020 against Lakenham RFC with 22 players available. Seemingly unaffected by the Christmas break, a convincing 34-10 win at Memorial Park was only the beginning of an incredibly successful winning streak with the team going from strength to strength.
A 65-0 win at home against Southwold made a clear statement to the rest of the league. Five tries for inside centre Alina Dinita and one from full back Rachel Edmead who covered the full length of the pitch (her trademark style) were highlights of this emphatic win.
With our rematch against Hackney postponed due to poor conditions, our objective was to secure second-place in the league. After a win at home against Stanford Le Hope (48-0) our remaining two games were against rivals Hackney and third place Harwich RFC.
In the shadow of coronavirus, only one of these games could be played, but what a game, an 82-7 home win against a depleted Harwich squad, which secured second place in the league. It demonstrated the team’s growth, commitment and progress since their first game in September.
The Vixens however have not only been successful on the pitch, but they’ve become famous off it! East London welcomed Pudsey the Bear and his camera crew to film the Vixens for the BBC Children in Need TV appeal. Scenes of rugby girls running around the pitch with a watermelon may have looked strange to passers-by, but the session was immensely fun and in support of a brilliant cause.
East London also played host to the RFU’s Inner Warrior scheme in September, welcoming new players to the club and driving awareness for women in rugby. The girls were so successful that the RFU have decided to make the Vixens the poster girls for getting into rugby, with pictures popping up all over social media.
The Vixens would like to thank coach James Adamson for all his hard work and support come rain and shine. To Ann, the best chef in the league, thank you for all the scrumptious meals and desserts - there’s no better way to end a Sunday! Thank you to the East London RFC committee for their continued support.
To our members and players, we hope you stay safe and well during the current health crisis and look forward to another successful season of rugby to come, whenever that may be!
Highlights of 2019/2020 season:
Played 12; Won 10; Lost 2. Points: 51. For: 382. Against 86. Position: 2nd.
Vixens Player of the Season – Rachel Edmead
Vixens Most Improved Player – Deepti Davenport
Vixens Best Newcomer – Steph Keyworth
Top Three Tries
1. Medway Cup game (27-10 loss away) – the ball kicked to the left corner for Rachel Edmead to score an incredible try
2. Romford RFC home – Rachel Edmead running from one end of the pitch to the other to restart our attacking game in the second half
3. Hackney away – equaliser from Katie Gemal
Top Five Injuries
1. Lauren Palmer – broken ankle in three places
2. Jodie Jeffery – broken wrist in the pre-season game
3. Sukie Young – broken ankle scoring a try
4. Kat Salthouse – playing with an unknown broken wrist
5. Katie Gemal – broken metacarpal (continuing the curse of Vixens getting hurt at county trials)
Top Five Moments
1. Hot chocolate at Lakenham
2. Going out while on tour in Barcelona dressed as wild animals, including an inflatable dinosaur and rhino
3. Every post-match meal at our home games!
4. The Vixens rendition of Part of Your World as led by Kat Salthouse (recording contract pending)
5. Every time prop Christine Kizito gets the ball
East London’s women’s side the Vixens enjoyed a successful 2019/2020 season with a strong performance in National Challenge 1 East league, finishing in second position.
September 2019 marked the start of a very new season for the Vixens, introducing James Adamson as coach and an increased training programme of two sessions per week, reflecting the ladies’ commitment to the game and each other.
With last season’s captain Lucinda Thomas leaving for study reasons, the vacant skipper’s role was filled by scrum-half and the club’s joint social secretary, Aoife Farrell. If that wasn’t enough change for one season, as a result of the Rugby Football Union’s league reshuffle, the Vixens found themselves in the East division of the NC1, resulting in a number of three-hour coach journeys to the east coast.
The season kicked off with a string of away games, starting with a trip to the seaside at Harwich RFC. Despite a loss (37-24), the Vixens showed a lot of promise and potential with a new squad including five new players. With one game down and having shaken off the first game nerves, the Vixens looked forward to welcoming Woodbridge RFC. In the end it was a home walkover from opponents who didn’t travel to West Ham.
The Vixens were keen to build on their work on the training pitch with a trip to Lakenham Hewett RFC. Poor conditions and driving rain were as much of an opponent as Lakenham and after 30 minutes the team was down to just 15 players and no replacements due to injury. Tenacity won out with a 22-12 away win.
Next was another three-hour coach trip to Southwold RFC and a pitch open to the elements. With high winds and strict instructions not to kick the ball, the Vixens enjoyed a dominant performance in a 32-5 victory, building experience and confidence before what we knew was going to be one of the big matches of the season, away at old rivals Hackney RFC.
Hackney had run up some impressive scores in the season thus far, the Vixens knew it would be a battle and an opportunity to show the rest of the league exactly what we were made of.
Despite some last-minute changes in positions and a pitch that looked like no-man’s land, the Vixens put up an astonishing performance. Having honed their defensive skills over the past three games and on the training pitch, the team put up a near impenetrable wall for 70 minutes with the score level at 5-5. Tired legs and a swamp-like pitch unfortunately led to two late tries being conceded for a 15-5 loss, but it sparked a new hope that come the reverse home game at the end of the season, the score would be very different.
Having focused on defensive strategies, the Vixens turned their attention to attacking play. With dominant performances against Stanford Le Hope away (39-0) and our first home game against Romford RFC (31-0) without conceding any points, confidence and spirit as a team continued to grow.
Another walkover from Woodbridge RFC meant the Vixens finished 2019 third in the table and ready to take on the second half of the season with four back to back home games.
The team started 2020 against Lakenham RFC with 22 players available. Seemingly unaffected by the Christmas break, a convincing 34-10 win at Memorial Park was only the beginning of an incredibly successful winning streak with the team going from strength to strength.
A 65-0 win at home against Southwold made a clear statement to the rest of the league. Five tries for inside centre Alina Dinita and one from full back Rachel Edmead who covered the full length of the pitch (her trademark style) were highlights of this emphatic win.
With our rematch against Hackney postponed due to poor conditions, our objective was to secure second-place in the league. After a win at home against Stanford Le Hope (48-0) our remaining two games were against rivals Hackney and third place Harwich RFC.
In the shadow of coronavirus, only one of these games could be played, but what a game, an 82-7 home win against a depleted Harwich squad, which secured second place in the league. It demonstrated the team’s growth, commitment and progress since their first game in September.
The Vixens however have not only been successful on the pitch, but they’ve become famous off it! East London welcomed Pudsey the Bear and his camera crew to film the Vixens for the BBC Children in Need TV appeal. Scenes of rugby girls running around the pitch with a watermelon may have looked strange to passers-by, but the session was immensely fun and in support of a brilliant cause.
East London also played host to the RFU’s Inner Warrior scheme in September, welcoming new players to the club and driving awareness for women in rugby. The girls were so successful that the RFU have decided to make the Vixens the poster girls for getting into rugby, with pictures popping up all over social media.
The Vixens would like to thank coach James Adamson for all his hard work and support come rain and shine. To Ann, the best chef in the league, thank you for all the scrumptious meals and desserts - there’s no better way to end a Sunday! Thank you to the East London RFC committee for their continued support.
To our members and players, we hope you stay safe and well during the current health crisis and look forward to another successful season of rugby to come, whenever that may be!
Highlights of 2019/2020 season:
Played 12; Won 10; Lost 2. Points: 51. For: 382. Against 86. Position: 2nd.
Vixens Player of the Season – Rachel Edmead
Vixens Most Improved Player – Deepti Davenport
Vixens Best Newcomer – Steph Keyworth
Top Three Tries
1. Medway Cup game (27-10 loss away) – the ball kicked to the left corner for Rachel Edmead to score an incredible try
2. Romford RFC home – Rachel Edmead running from one end of the pitch to the other to restart our attacking game in the second half
3. Hackney away – equaliser from Katie Gemal
Top Five Injuries
1. Lauren Palmer – broken ankle in three places
2. Jodie Jeffery – broken wrist in the pre-season game
3. Sukie Young – broken ankle scoring a try
4. Kat Salthouse – playing with an unknown broken wrist
5. Katie Gemal – broken metacarpal (continuing the curse of Vixens getting hurt at county trials)
Top Five Moments
1. Hot chocolate at Lakenham
2. Going out while on tour in Barcelona dressed as wild animals, including an inflatable dinosaur and rhino
3. Every post-match meal at our home games!
4. The Vixens rendition of Part of Your World as led by Kat Salthouse (recording contract pending)
5. Every time prop Christine Kizito gets the ball
Further reading