Bridgnorth celebrate title in front of record crowd
Bridgnorth Women’s rugby team celebrated winning National Challenge 1 Midlands (West) in front of a record crowd.
A record-breaking women's game crowd of 500 supporters gathered to see the final league match of the season against Hucclecote at the Edgar Davies Ground.
The game, which Bridgnorth won 95-0, marked the conclusion to their amazing 14 undefeated league match run and was a day to celebrate women’s rugby at Bridgnorth RFC.
Over the course of the season, the team have gone on a 14 league game winning streak, winning 11 of those with a try bonus point and conceding just 114 points all season.
Women’s head coach Ian Hill said: “Success very rarely comes overnight, and our current success has been 4 years in the making.
“The girls have been fantastic this season and have been brilliantly led by our Captain Annabel Andrews.
“The squad have taken to the more aggressive style of rugby we have tried to implement and have been extremely professional in their approach.
“We have played some fantastic rugby, but we have also had to dig deep, especially against Lichfield at home where a last-minute try from Ellie Hamer, converted by Chloe Meyrick sealed an impressive comeback victory.”
Bridgnorth women will now compete in the Women’s Championship Midlands 2, a division they last played in 10 years ago.
Ultimately, they had to drop into National Challenge 1 Midlands (West) due to the strain on the players, but they now find themselves in a stronger position than ever before.
“The last time we were in this position was 2015 with a very different line up and far from the strength in depth we see before us today,” said women’s chair Lindsey Garraway.
“I have been lucky enough to see this team through 18 seasons and each year it’s been an honour to see us grow. Every single player has given their all to achieve this incredible feat.”
The off-pitch activities matched the occasion, as the players gave speeches to some 86 guests at the pre-game lunch, before taking to the field with 25 mascots from across the girls’ mini & junior section.
Four of the players who took to the field started their rugby journey in the club’s mini & junior section, while others have joined the club later on, highlighting the emphasis on homegrown talent at Bridgnorth.
The promotion was also a fitting way to celebrate the club’s first year at their new clubhouse, which has given them a base much closer to training than their previous venue.
Club secretary Nerys Arch said: “We have this amazing, brand-new clubhouse. We all loved the pub we used to go to, but we decided to have the clubhouse next to the pitch.
“It’s a fantastic building and it’s really helped with the training because it used to be dark. It’s a more welcoming place to go training because the clubhouse is right next to where they train.
“It’s also added a bit more professionalism to the team. We were very social in the early stages, now they’re athletes playing a really good standard.”
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