2022 / 2023 season
U18 Girls County Festival at Broadstreet RFC 15th Jan 2023
North Midlands Vs. Warwickshire
Warwickshire started on the front foot and got within 10m of the North Midlands line but a great steal from Lily Terry set up a blistering counterattack with Ellie Lane and Megan Watson swapping passes allowing the former to speed through to open the scoring. The girls went close again down the left before a loose ball from a malfunctioning Warwickshire line out fell to a grateful Lily Terry, who wasn’t going to be stopped from 10 meters out. The home side soon made their way into the North Midlands half only for the girls to force another turnover with some stout defending, Els Watkins went on an incredible jinking run, and was only stopped by a desperate tackle from the full-back, four or five phases later Connie Jordan powered over in the corner from short range.
The North Midlands team looked as dangerous without the ball as they were in possession, a smart interception from Els Watkins on halfway allowing her to sprint through unchallenged. From the restart, Warwickshire made the mistake of picking out Lily Terry, who showed strength to break the line and then pace to outstrip the defence to score again. Next, a strong run from Kai Tolkien set up good field position and it looked like Emily Cook had scored when she dived on a loose ball over the line, only for play to be called back for a knock-on in the build-up. A big push from the pack allowed Lily Terry to go from the back of the scrum and score her third as the half time whistle blew.
Changes in personnel for the second half but no let-up in the intensity as the girls soon scored again; Isabella Wilkinson cutting a nice line between defenders. The next phase of play saw some wonderful handling from North Midlands, Megan Watson, Abi Evans and Milly Evans all throwing offloads that had the opposition chasing shadows. With the girls camped inside their 22, Warwickshire were defending desperately, and even when they won possession back, they could not manufacture an exit, Ella Baldock stopping a nascent counter with a big hit before Claudia Sobey and Becca Garlick combined really well to return a clearance. The ball then squirted loose from a scrum 10m out and Lottie Buffery-Latham was first to react, dragging two defenders with her the over the line. The final try of the game came from a short-range drive by Heidi Pullan after more strong running from Milly Evans, Lottie BL and Megan Watson.
Final Score:
Warwickshire 0 – 55 North Midlands
Tries:
Ellie Lane
Lily Terry (3)
Connie Jordan
Els Watkins
Isabella Wilkinson
Lottie Buffery-Latham
Heidi Pullan
Conversions:
Ellie Lane (4)
Milly Evans
North Midlands Vs. Staffordshire
Next up was Staffordshire, a side buoyant from a last-ditch victory over Warwickshire and whom North Midlands had squeaked a 10-5 victory against back in November. With the game being played under floodlights in front of the stand, all was set up for a memorable encounter and the game did not disappoint. A breathless start saw Ellie Lane rip the ball and counter only for Staffs to do the same and it took a great tackle from Chloe Newbury to stop a promising-looking break. North Midlands then opened the scoring, Els Watkins and Lily Terry combining well, allowing the former to zip through. The girls were getting a lot of joy attacking down the left wing and it took a desperate tackle from the fullback to halt a brilliant run from Nicola Davenhill. As the girls made their way inside the 22 an interception from the Staffs centre saw her run clear of the defence, Nicola Davenhill did brilliantly to somehow make up the ground but the 12 just managed to wriggle free and Staffordshire were back on terms.
With their tails up Staffs came again and North Midlands defended heroically, Ella Baldock making a couple of big hits in midfield and Claudia Sobey crashing into two dominant tackles in a row. The forwards swarmed to every breakdown and Emily Cook disrupted lineouts to great effect. After a spell of committed defending, a turnover allowed Lily Terry to counter and put North Midlands ahead just before half time.
A great start to the second half saw Isabella Wilkinson win the ball at a breakdown and two phases later, with Staffordshire scrambling to reset defensively, Lottie Buffery-Latham spotted a gap and went from the back of a ruck, her powerful run taking her all the way to the line. North Midlands were now dominating at the breakdown, Milly Evans affecting the next turnover allowing Megan Watson to make a good break. The forwards then kept the ball warm before Heidi Pullan picked up the ball 10m out, she went right then thought better of it, cut back left and dived over the line. From the restart Lily Terry almost scored another spectacular try, going from 22 to 22, only for the full-back to again come to Staffs rescue. The North Midlands number 8 didn’t have to wait long for her try though, running a hard line off Heidi Lantos from a scrum and carving a hole through the defence. Emily Braid went close and North Midlands were still pushing forward as the final whistle blew on a great day of rugby.
Final Score:
North Midlands 29 – 5 Staffordshire
Tries:
Els Watkins
Lily Terry (2)
Lottie Buffery-Latham
Heidi Pullan
Conversions:
Heidi Lantos
Milly Evans
Credit to James Baldock as the author – thank you.
Sunday 8th January 2023 –
GCSE support for North Midlands RFU Girls County Players
The growth of the game, especially in relation to young females, can only be sustained by providing our players with the opportunity to recognise the value placed in rugby.
Today, girls from across North Midlands RFU were given the opportunity to participate in practical sessions, specifically designed to target their GCSE practical criteria. This session, in its inaugural year, brought 42 girls together who otherwise may not have had the chance to submit organised footage.
We hope that the running of the session aids the academic outcomes of the girls, as well as promotes a continued love for the game.
U18’s County Season Report – 2022/2023
It was an early start to the North Midlands u18 Girls County season this year with the first assessment day being on the 30th October 2022.
Over 50 girls from 14 clubs attended the first afternoon that was held at Worcester RFC.
Unfortunately not all players could make it through this first assessment and the assessors and coaches had the task of deciding who would attend the development day on 13th November.
39 girls were called back for this further assessment at Bridgnorth RFC with a final number of 32 girls being selected for the county squad.
The final squad was made up of girls from 11 different clubs across the County.
Shrewsbury RFC,
Greyhound RFC,
Telford Hornets RFC,
Worcester RFC,
Old Halesonians RFC,
Bournville RFC,
Kidderminster Carolians RFC,
Oswestry RFC,
Evesham RFC
and Edwardians RFC were all represented.
There were three festivals planned for the county season with the first one being hosted by Staffordshire County at Burton RFC on 27th November with games against Staffordshire and Warwickshire.
North Mids won both of their games with a 10 – 5 win against Staffordshire and 24 – 0 win against Warwickshire.
Unfortunately the North Mids festival in December was cancelled due to the icy weather and unsafe pitch conditions so the next festival was hosted by Warwickshire at Broadstreet RFC on 15th January 2023.
North Mids again won both of their games with a 0 – 55 win against Warwickshire and 5 – 29 win against Staffordshire.
Try scorers for the Girls U18 county season were Ellie Lane (4), Lily Terry (6), Constance Jordon (1), Els Watkins (2), Isabella Wilkinson (1), Lottie Buffery-Latham (2), Heidi Pullen (2), Hannah Whitmore (1) and Heidi Lantos (1). Conversions were Ellie Lane (5), Milly Evans (2) and Heidi Lantos (1). However, a massive team effort from all the girls with some great rugby on show.
The girls are now looking forward to the rearranged cancelled December game as they head to Dings Crusaders in March for a festival against Gloucestershire County.
It’s been a fantastic season with lots of great rugby played.
We’d seen many girls come through the county programme from Under 15’s and we will sadly be losing them from Under 18’s as they move on to senior rugby;
Lily Swindley, Hannah Whitmore, Lily Terry, Ellie Lane, Megan Watson, Freya Adams, Heidi Pullen, Lottie Buffery-LathamL, Milly Evans, Heidi Lantos, Ella Baldock, Hattie Dodson, Beth Wilkes and Christina De Souza, you have all been a fantastic part of the county team over several seasons. We will miss you all and wish you all well as you hopefully progress into your adult rugby journey whether that be at club, university or somewhere else.
A huge thank you to Team manager Alison Lane, Head coach Conor Madden, coaches Mark White, Mark James and Fitz Arkey, Physios Dave Howes, Ben Davis-Moore and Jodie Loughran, Photographer James Hawthorn, Match reporter James Baldock, kit manager Hattie Watkins, Burton RFC and Broadstreet RFC for their hospitality, all the families for getting the girls to training and festivals and not forgetting all the girls that took part for being fantastic and making it such an enjoyable experience for all involved.

Dear Coach/Club Contact,
Please find below information regarding this season’s U18 Girls North Midlands County Rugby programme.
Assessment date isSunday 6th February 2022 at Worcester RFC
Whereas this is an open trial, please can club/school coaches ensure they are selecting players with appropriate experience/skill levels to attend? To ensure the upmost safety of all players in attendance, all those participating will be expected to be competent in and around the contact area. Should any player be deemed to be unsafe and subsequently be at risk of injury, they may be asked to sit out.
U18’s are based on school year 11 and first 2 years of 6th form.
Please advise players of the following information:
They should arrive at the ground no earlier than 12.30pm to register.
There will be a player brief at around 1pm and training will start at 1.30pm.
The day will finish for players by 3pm.
There will be physios in attendance on the day. They will be there to treat any injuries that occur on the day. If players are carrying an injury please let the coaches and physios know. If they need any strapping please turn up with this already done.
Changing facilities and showers will be available, but please ensure players bring the appropriate clothing for all weathers as well as their own water and any energy bars or snacks that they may need before and after. Gum shields and boots will also be necessary.
Please note if any player is carrying injuries or is unable to attend the first session, they can still be considered for the programme as long as they attend the Development day on 20th February 2022 and make it clear upfront what your issues are.
The link for the registration form is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewWYtNOrbN70IssrK0Tpd5w9VUd5HwaQ6JqtC4r2mpLV4XjQ/viewform?usp=pp_url
Please ask players to complete it and attach a passport sized photo to the form.
If you have any questions or queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Kindest regards,
Moira Boot
North Midlands RFU
Women and Girls Programme Lead
07889 020 233
Under 18s Assessment: Sunday 6th Feb
Squad Training: Sunday 20th Feb
Matches: 20 March, 3 April, 17 April
More details will follow once venues and times confirmed for all