The family making waves at their local club
Natasha Mayhew and her sister, mother, cousin, aunt and sister-in-law all play for Aylesford Bulls RFC in Kent.
Aylesford Bulls were without a women’s team in 2017 following their merger with Harlequins ahead of the inaugural Premier 15s season.
Two years later, having previously played rugby at school and college, Natasha was encouraged to join a team by her fiancée. She joined Tonbridge Juddians and played alongside her mother, Michele, for the first time. Rediscovering her love for rugby, Natasha felt driven to create opportunities for more women to play the sport.
The two women, with the help of a handful of the original Aylesford Bulls Ladies, re-founded the women’s team at their local club and began holding open sessions for all abilities, creating a link to the U18s girls side already established.
The team grew from strength to strength in its first two years and, in 2021, was entered into a league. Despite a difficult introduction, they continued to recruit, and with the help of the coaching team in Jen Vik, Lee Bruin and Michael Bradley, they finished third in the league table.
FAMILY FORTRESS
Leading the recruitment drive, Natasha looked close to home, drafting in family members to bolster numbers as the team continued to thrive.
Natasha said: “We convinced my cousin Yasmin, my sister Mollie, my aunt Julia and later my sister-in-law Lauren to give rugby a go. They also fell in love with the sport and it has been so amazing to watch Mollie, Yasmin and Lauren pursue it and become very talented players in their own right.
“Mum, Mollie, Yasmin and I are still in the 1st XV every weekend, whilst Lauren has taken a little break to give birth to a future baby bull, Madeleine Grace Mayhew, who made an early appearance on 12 October 2022 and is already proving to be an incredibly strong little lady.
“I was privileged enough to finish the season by following in my mums footsteps and representing Kent at county level,” continued Natasha. “Mollie and Yasmin both have ambitions to also represent the county and beyond, and I’m looking forward to watching them flourish in their rugby careers.”
With female rugby participation numbers growing across the country, Natasha says it is the perfect time to get involved with your local club.
“I would encourage anyone to take up rugby, it is an excellent sport with a great ethos which gives you an opportunity to meet amazing people from all walks of life, prove to yourself and others how strong you really are and give you a real appreciation of what sport, family and life is really all about.”
