Kingswood U13 Girls made the short journey to Cleve last weekend to attend a County Cup Festival alongside opposing teams Old Richians, Old Bristolians and Drybrook RFC. Despite wintry conditions and the prospect of four games on the bounce enthusiasm was high and the girls were quickly raring to go.

First up saw Kingswood take on Old Richians with newcomer Layla Dockerty making her début for the team, and the Grimsbury Road side set out with fierce determination making some fantastic breakthroughs from the very first whistle. Utilising the strong ball carriers, Tia Witcombe and Grace Veitch racked up the bulk of the points with 5 tries between them, battering defence and smashing through tackles from the tap to score down the middle.
Concentrating on what had been worked on in training, the girls got the ball through the hands and brilliant support running from Lottie Marsden saw her grab her first try of the day with Katie Hodge securing the other. Unfortunate missed tackles allowed Richians to level some of the score but not enough to steal the win seeing Kingswood victorious at the first hurdle 7-5.

Confidence brimming from their strong start the girls were straight back into the mix with the next clash against Old Bristolians who have been a good match in previous fixtures. Following on from the last game, communication was excellent both on and off the pitch and the pressure on the opposition from a quick defensive line persistently hindered any impending attack, however some unfortunate handling errors and slow reactions to loose ball gave Old B’s the edge allowing them to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
Unperturbed Kingswood continued to compete, Witcombe and Veitch using the same tactic to add two more tries each to their tally whilst impressive support play once again by Marsden granted her a second, finalising the score but suffering a narrow defeat on the final whistle 6-5.

With a win and a loss under their belts it was on to the next round against Gloucester based Drybrook but with the hard ground taking its toll, injuries started being sustained and Kingswood were unable to gain the momentum they’d have liked. This did nothing to dampen spirits however and the girls worked incredibly hard to keep the score line low with good defence and providing the top try scorers of the day the chance to add another three tries between them to make the score a measly 4-3 loss.

Due to a lack of time playoffs were unable to take place therefore the fourth and final match saw Kingswood up against Cheltenham for the last play of the day. Despite fatigue now setting in and two losses on the bounce, the players kept their heads up and gave it their all from the starting whistle determined to finish the festival on a high. Straight away some superb runs from speedy Paige Woodward and Amy-Rose Mulrenan saw Kingswood deep into Cheltenham’s half and all action terrier Katie Hodge bagged herself a further two tries.
Great teamwork and heads up rugby kept the game running at pace and well timed offloads notably from an ever improving Maizie Davis saw vital yards being gained and it was the terrible twosome Witcombe and Veitch along with reliable Charlotte Marsden that finished off the scoring to see the Mighty K finish the day with a bang on a 6-4 victory.

Well done to the players all of whom dug deep for a gruelling day of rugby and achieving the win two from four. The positive attitude went a long way towards the result and every girl on that pitch should be very proud of themselves and have individual medals to show for it, alongside the County Cup Plaque!
By Naomi Iles