League Promotion Play-off

 Cheltenham Ladies 28 –  10  Thurrock Ladies 

After winning their league which saw them remain unbeaten all season, Cheltenham Ladies had to play Thurrock T-birds, the winners of the Southeast league, to claim promotion to Championship South 1.  Thurrock were very confident as they were unbeaten for two seasons and had great support at the neutral venue of Slough RFC. Cheltenham knew it was going to be a tough encounter and so started strongly from the kick-off with 10 minutes of fantastic attacking rugby, only to be let down by unforced errors and knock-ons. Thurrock soaked up the attack and recycled the ball to attack strongly up the centre of the pitch using their powerful forwards, but the Cheltenham defence held strong with good tackles from Maria Townley, Ruth Berry and Lauren Williams. A break up the wing from Laura Hale saw her enter the opposition’s territory, good hands saw a quick offload to Briege Williams who set up a ruck from which Sophie Pascall collected the ball and evaded tackles from several players to score under the posts, converted by Bee Mocellin. From the re-start powerful rucking from the Thurrock forwards saw them retain the ball and their fly half saw space behind the Cheltenham defence and kicked through for their winger who received the lucky bounce and scored an unconverted try in the corner. Cheltenham hit back soon after when fantastic interplay between Maz Claassens and Pascall saw a second try under the post for flanker Pascall, again converted by Mocellin.  A Thurrock player was sin binned for consistent offending at the breakdown area but Cheltenham did not manage to use this advantage and could not get round the strong Thurrock defence. Thurrock rarely pushed the ball wide, instead opting to send powerful runners at the fringes and up the centre channel, they used this strength to work they way up the pitch and were camped out on the Cheltenham try line when quick hands saw their fly-half run in an unconverted try.  With just a few points in it Cheltenham knew they had to up their game and use the pace out wide. The balance shifted in Cheltenham’s favour after a considerable period of sustained Thurrock pressure the ball was turned over and slick passing from Caroline Hardy to Pip Payne and Tammy Shakespeare set Laura Hale free on the left wing to show the covering defence a clean set of heels and score under the posts, Mocellin converted to make the score 21-10 with 20 minutes left to play. Cheltenham could see Thurrock were tiring and when they kicked the ball over, B Williams caught it and made a break up the wing, a good tackle from the fullback slowed the game but good rucking from the Cheltenham forwards ensured that ball was retained and Pascall again shrugged off tackles to scored a third try and complete her first ever hat-trick! Thurrock knew they were beaten but still attacked the gain line however great defensive work from Jude Lack and Amie Stinchcombe ensured they did not score and the final whistle blew with Cheltenham 28-10 victors. Cheltenham Ladies have earned themselves a place in Championship South 1 which is 1 league below the premiership!

Forward of the match - Ruth Berry for putting in some great tackles around the breakdown areas and being generally all over the place!

Back of the Match - Maz Claassens for being strong in defence and producing some powerful attacking runs

Special award - hat trick hero Sophie Pascall for scoring her 1st hat trick for Cheltenham when they needed it the most!

Unbeaten Cheltenham Ladies finish on a high

Cheltenham Ladies 36 - 7 Supermarine Ladies

Cheltenham Ladies RFC beat 2^nd place Supermarines comfortably 36-7 at the weekend and thus achieved the rare feat of being unbeaten all season.

The game started off a scrappy affair, with Supermarines in possession for the majority of the first half, attacking channel one time and time again. However Cheltenham’s defence worked tirelessly and some strong runs from Maz Claassens and Laura Hale showed the pace and strength out wide of the home backs. From these attacks it wasn’t long before Hale went over in the corner after a sublime miss pass from Chloe Spruels. Not long after, Hale went over for a second in a similar fashion, this time with an equally fine miss pass from fly half Bee Mocellin who also added the extras. Cheltenham never looked back from there and straight from the kick off Sophie Pascall collected the ball and smashed her way through the defence before showing her pace to finish in the corner.

Supermarines started the second half with some strong running, and despite some tireless defence from Rachel Vicary, Jude Lack and Lauren Williams the visitors eventually scored under the posts. But not to be outdone Cheltenham showed more of there usual stylish running rugby with Maz Claassens linking well with Hale who sped down the wing only to be denined inches short of the line, but the offload found Claassens who went over for a well deserved try, converted by Mocellin.

Some strong runs from full back Williams and great distrabution from Mocellin and Spruels soon saw second row Tammy Shakespere on one of her trademark runs down the wing, beating the full back with an outrageous dummy to score for the home side. The final word was had by man of the match Pascall, who ran in for her second after some fine footwork from the number 6, again Mocellin adding the extras.

The Ladies will now face their toughest challenge yet, with a play off match against South East winners Thurrock. This would see them play their rugby in South 1 next season and going by the performances put in by the ladies this season, it is no doubt where they belong.

Cheltenham Ladies 14 – 0 Bournemouth Oakmedian Ladies

Cheltenham Ladies continue unbeaten run!

In heavy rain, hail and strong winds, Cheltenham ladies continued their undefeated season in this top of the table clash with Oakmedian Ladies. In a closely fought contest both sides battled the elements to get the upper hand. Cheltenham broke the deadlock early in the first half when quick hands gave a sniping break to Briege Williams leading to a try, converted by Bee Mocellin. Cheltenham’s defence held strong after repeated attacks from Oakmedians but the terrible conditions lead to unforced errors when Cheltenham had attacking ball. Both packs battled admirably with Sophie Pascall, Pip Payne and Amie Stinchcombe showing tireless effort in this war of attrition.  The second half started as the first half finished, with both teams struggling to get any advantage, however, tactical changes made by the coaches paid dividends with powerful replacement Maz Claassens breaching the Oakmedians defence and scoring a well deserved try, again converted by Mocellin. This wasn’t a day for the fair weather supporters and those that braved the weather were left feeling well rewarded.

Cheltenham Challenge Cup

Cheltenham Ladies 32 - 18 Camphill Ladies

The inaugural Cheltenham Challenge Cup match was held on Saturday 21^st Feb in front of an excellent crowd. An Under 15s girls exhibition match between Cirencester and Cinderford kicked off the evening with a win for Cinderford. The main event saw Cheltenham Ladies looking to win the 1^st ever cup match against old rivals Camphill Ladies who play their rugby in the league above Cheltenham.  The pace was fast and furious from the start and Cheltenham went into the lead after 5 minutes when Briege Williams benefited from slick handling in the backs to sprint in for a try in the corner. Camphill responded strongly and forcefully attacked the Cheltneham line, but the defence held strong until a series of infringements led to a yellow card for Cheltenham fly half Bee Mocellin and an easy 3 point penalty for Camphill.  Camphilll spent the next 10minutes camped in the Cheltenham 22 until a quick sprint up the wing from Katie Pittaway resulted in a lineout catch and drive from the Cheltenham pack and Amie Stinchcombe evaded tackles to power over for a try.  Cheltenham indiscipline once again let them down and gifted Camphill another 3 points from the accurate boot of their fly half.  The Cheltenham pack held strong against a much bigger Camphill side and gave a good platform from which the backs could attack. Maz Claassens made a break up the centre and offloaded to Maria Townley who showed power and strength to score a try. 15 – 6 at halftime. The second half showed no let up in pace or physicality with both teams fired up for the match. Camphill used their powerful centres to repeatedly attack Cheltenham but strong tackles from Tammy Shakespeare and Rachel Vicary stopped them gaining any ground. Another period of Cheltenham indiscipline saw Sophie Pascall sent to the sin bin for being continuously offside. A scrum deep in the Cheltenham half saw Lauren Williams pick up the ball from the back of the scrum and  link up with Claassens who released Townley to evade tackles and sprint 50m down the pitch only to be stopped metres from the try line. The resulting phases of play saw Laura Hale scrabble over the line to claim a try. Jude Lack claimed the ball straight from the restart and great support running resulted in Pip Payne run through tackles to score a try. At 25 – 6 up Cheltenham lost focus and Camphill took the opportunity to score a converted try. With 5 minutes to go, the Cheltenham forwards turned over Camphill ball and B Williams showed a good turn of pace to score a try, converted by Claassens.  In the last minute of the match, Camphill used their forwards to drive over for a try but this did not affect the out come of the match with a 32-18 win for Cheltenham Ladies! Cheltenham Ladies RFC wish to thank their supporters who, through ticket sales, raised £160 for The Wooden Spoon Charity!

Cheltenham: B Williams, Z Beer (C Hardy 45), M Townley, M Claassens, K Pittaway, R Mocellin (C Spruels 60), L Hale, L Williams, S Pascall (R Berry 44), R Vicary (S Thornton 64), T Shakespeare, J Lack, A Stinchcombe (V Burrows 63), A Gardner, P Payne

Bristol 2nds 0 - 20 Cheltenham Ladies

With a depleted squad due to 6 members playing Regional Southwest rugby, Cheltenham travelled to play the newly renamed Bristol 2nds things started badley when a car full of girls (driven by Little Vics) got lost in Bristol and were late for the kick off, doh. However, this was an opportunity for new girls to get some match experience and for the team to have a tough match before next weeks Challenge Cup match against Camphill. It was a very physical match, with the score remaining 0 - 0 until the dying seconds of the first half when Tammy Shakespeare ran almost the full length of the pitch to score. Nadine Dapra showed much improvement to her game and Emma Ciecora made her match debut for the team, her previous experience being as a "social member" on tour.....she "loved it". Despite a string of injuries to players such as Hannah and Laura, Cheltenham showed great strength to score 3 more tries. Lauren, Bean and Sophie Hinds scored to take the final score to 20 - 0. A special mention is due to Ruth Berry who by all accounts had an awesome game, leading from the front and hitting rucks all day long.

Cheltenham  Ladies 80 - 0 Paignton Ladies

Cheltenham Ladies resounding 80-0 victory over Paington was ideal preparation for the upcoming varsity match on February 21^st at the Prince of Wales Stadium.  Cheltenham started the match at a blistering pace with an early try from winger Laura Hale who showed a turn of pace to evade several Paignton defenders. Cheltenham were eager to cement their authority early on the game with another blistering, try scoring break from the powerful Maz Claassens this was followed by a similar effort from the effervescent Tammy Shakespeare.  Paignton were left with a mountain to climb in muddy conditions. Their cause was not helped when Captain Briege Williams crossed the line for her first of three tries for the day. Shakespeare immediately fielded the restart and produced the score of the day, poetry was in motion. A further Cheltenham score followed and Paignton heads began to drop.  Injures to Maggie Chapman and Bee Mocellin gave opportunities to new players Nadine Dapra and Holly Buckenham to make their Cheltenham debut. Half time came and Paignton started the second half in a more positive manner using their heavy weight forwards to test the Cheltenham pack however the Cheltenham scrum responded in resounding fashion with huge drives from Pip Payne, Aimie Gardener, Jude Lack and Lauren Williams. This created the platform for the Cheltenham backs to flourish. Two further tries followed from Hale followed by a team score finished off by the vagarious Caroline Hardy. Paington continued to give their all but Cheltenham were in no mood for charity and further tries from debutant Zoe Beer, B Williams, L Hale, M Claassens, H Buckenham and T Shakespeare left Paignton with little reprieve.

Supermarines 0 - 27 Cheltenham

On a bitterly cold afternoon Cheltenham Ladies came out victorious against a robust Supermarine outfit. The physicality of the game took its toll early, leading to injuries to key players for Cheltenham. They reorganised quickly and Chloe Spruels admirably stepped in at the unfamiliar position of scrum half, providing quick ball throughout the game. Finally the deadlock was broken through an exquisite backs move straight out of the coaches’ playbook, slick hands from Bee Mocellin and Maz Claassens saw Briege Williams score under the posts. Supermarines responded with a sustained period of pressure but were unable to breach Cheltenhams organised defence. Claassens then relieved the pressure with a kick through winger Kate Pittaway was quick to follow up the kick and with a bruising tackle forced the Supermarine full back to spill the ball. Cheltenham pounced and Mocellin showed her pace to score in the corner. Cheltenham were beginning to take control, this was reflected by an incisive piece of play when forward Pip Payne released winger Pittaway who scored the final try of the half.

The second half began and Cheltenham were first out of the blocks with the ice cool B Williams bagging her second try of the game. In a disjointed second half Supermarine did not let their heads drop but Cheltenham continually smashed them back with hits from Maria Townley,  Mocellin, Aimie Gardiner and flanker Rachel Vicary showing no remorse. Late in the game with the darkness closing in  Williams broke through to warm the spirits of the travelling support and seal the comprehensive victory for Cheltenham.

Redruth Albany Ladies 22 - 48 Cheltenham Ladies

Cheltenham Ladies made the long journey down to Redruth, which proved to be their toughest test of the campaign yet, however after a scrappy start they managed to up the intensity to win 22-48.

Redruth started the stronger team and with much of the first half possession, they managed to rattle up a 12-0 lead over the visitors. However after Cheltenham weathered the storm defensively, they were able to show their own attacking credentials with slick hands from the backs giving Briege Williams the opportunity to touch down. This was quickly followed by a brilliantly executed 2 on 1 from Maz Claassens putting Maria Townley away to score under the posts and thus putting Cheltenham right back into the game. A penalty kick from Redruth took the home side into a 15-12 lead at half time.

The coaches half time team talked proved to be just what the ladies needed and after a great line break from Claassens, Cheltenham took the lead and they never looked back.  Maria Townley then scored from a blind move where once again the centres combined beautifully. Strong running from skipper Williams also saw her register her second of the day.

From there on it was the Townley show, as she touched down for 3 more tries, showing excellent tackle evasion and some scintillating lines of running for all of her scores. Bee Mocellin kicked very well ending the day with a 75% success rate and Claassens gave her a little help with one conversion of her own. 

Redruth managed to go in for conciliation try but Cheltenham had already secured the bonus point win down in Cornwall, in what proved to be a great test of the ladies ambition and character.

Paignton Ladies 0 - 87 Cheltenham Ladies

Cheltenham Ladies continued their excellent run of form with a 15 try battering of Paignton to win 87-0. The try fest started when Katie Pittaway made the first of many incisive runs from centre to score under the posts. Less than 1 minute later, Sophie Pascall’s strong running saw her smash her way through the defence to score.

The Cheltenham defence proved to be as good as their attack, as excellent counter rucking saw them turn over another ball and Maz Claassens broke the line to touch down. Then just minutes apart Briege Williams’ scintillating running from fullback saw her score 2 quick tries. The ever-present Pip Payne made countless storming runs and an offload gave Tammy Shakespeare the opportunity to score the first of 2 tries. Caroline Hardy then went over after a sneaky quick tap penalty to take the score to 43-0 at half time.

The momentum continued into the second half with newly converted winger Bee Mocellin cutting an excellent line to dive over the line. The half-century was brought up by a brilliant 60-metre dash to the line from Lauren Williams for her to score a well-deserved try. Great handling in the backs meant Hannah Morgan was able to get on the score sheet and Briege Williams made it a hat trick with a dazzling break up the middle. A blind move from the scrum gave Morgan an opportunity to show her strength and put the ball down for her 2^nd of the day. The forwards not to be outdone finished off the scoring with direct running from replacement Sophie Hinds who touched down, followed by Jude Lack rounding off a great days work with a try of her own. Brilliant kicking from Claassens ended the day with another successful conversion to bring her personal haul to 19.

Cheltenham 84 – 0 Old Redcliffians

 Cheltenham Ladies continued their impressive start to the season with a comprehensive victory over Old Redcliffians Ladies 84-0. Cheltenham were in merciless mood and soon breached the Old Redcliffians defence when Maria Townley burst through to score the first of her four tries of the day.  Cheltenham continued the onslaught with an incisive piece of play out wide which saw winger Laura Hale score in the corner. Not to be out done the forwards began to make their mark on the game with some outstanding breaks from prop Pip Payne and Sophie Pascal. This pressure soon told which led to tries for forward Tammy Shakespeare and Skipper Briege Williams. Pascal rounded off the half with a bulldozing run to the line scoring the first of her two tries.

Cheltenham started the second half in much the same vain with some powerful scrumaging from the pack, including; Amie Stinchcombe, Jude Lack and Aimie Gardener. They continued to find holes in the Old Redcliffians defence and this led to two further tries from Townley and one from Williams. The backline were in top form and centre Maz Classans made a series of scintillating breaks leading to a personal tally of three tries for the man of the match. Influential fly half Bee Mocellin added her own try to complete a 19 point haul.

 Final Score 84-0.

 Cheltenham Ladies off to a flyer.

Oakmedians 5 – 36 Cheltenham

Cheltenham ladies opened their league campaign with a comfortable victory against Oakmedians. Cheltenham started the game in typical domineering style with a trademark converted try from the effervescent Shakespeare. Oakmedians responded quickly with a well taken try.  A tactical kick from the Oakmedians fly half led to B. Williams being given the opportunity to exploit the space with a pacey break leading to Cheltenham once again breaching the Oakmedians defence and securing their second try of the game. The Cheltenham forwards secured solid possession with good rucking from Stinchcombe and Pascal. This allowed Claasens to deliver a killer pass to Townley who evaded a series of tackles to score another Cheltenham try.

The tone for the second half was set early with some powerful play from forwards Pip Payne and J Smith. A prolonged period of pressure resulted in another team try for Cheltenham. The ladies were beginning to take total control of the game through some superb lineout work from L. Williams and support play from Jude and Ruth Berry. This led to two tries being scored in quick succession including a clean break being made by winger Hale. This rounded off a comprehensive victory for the Ladies. Final Score 34-5.

Camphill 15 - 15 Cheltenham

In their second friendly of the season Cheltenham Ladies managed a 15-15 draw against Camphill ladies. Cheltenham faced the daunting prospect of battling it out against a heavy weight Camp hill pack. Camphill had the better of the opening exchanges showing their intent early on with some forward control however Cheltenham showed glimpses of their superior backline with some soft hands from Bee Mocellin and strong running from Maz Claassens. This was soon to play dividends when the vivacious Caroline Hardy took a quick tap penalty and made a dash for the line she then picked out skipper Briege Williams whom scored the opening try. Camphill  responded well with some strong forward play and scored a try which was converted. Cheltenham then produced a scintillating piece of backs play involving Claassens, Townley and ultimately skipper Williams who scored her second try of the game. Cheltenham went into half time with a 10-7 lead.  

Camphill opened the second half with a sustained period of forward pressure and eventually breached the resolute Cheltenham defence to score a try. The Cheltenham forwards rallied themselves with some big tackles and powerful runs from Pip Payne, Aimie Gardner and Sophie Pascal. This led to a breakaway from centre Maria Townley who showed a clean pair of heels to the chasing camphill defence, Williams was again on hand to complete her hatrick of tries. Cheltenham looked to have victory sealed until a late penalty was kicked by the Camphill fly half to level the scores.   

Encouraging start for Cheltenham ladies.

Cheltenham 5 - 24 Bath

Fourteen man Cheltenham Ladies faced the daunting prospect of an opening friendly fixture against a 25 strong Bath squad. Bath started the stronger in the opening exchanges and scored an early try. A team with less spirit may have dropped their heads at this point but the motivational leadership shown by skipper Briege Williams rallied the Ladies together. As the game progressed into the second quarter Cheltenham grew stronger and continually forced Bath into errors with superb tackling from Laura Hale and Sarah Maclaren. Only a swift piece of handling from the Bath centre lead to them breaching the resilient Cheltenham defence. As the second half commenced the Cheltenham forwards gained some superb momentum with some tireless work at the breakdown from Lauren Williams, Aimie Gardner and Sophie Pascal, this setting a platform for Jude Lack to make some powerful breaks into Bath territory. Bath managed to make their numerical advantage pay off by scoring a try out wide.  In the final quarter 14 man Cheltenham were dominating the game. They then produced the move of the match which saw loose forward Tammy Shakespeare make a scintillating break, followed by an exquisite piece of team play between Maz Claassens and Sophie Hinds leading to Hinds driving over for a well deserved score. Brave Cheltenham left the field with their heads held high and ready for the season to begin. Final score 5-24.