The Widows kicked off their season after being put through their paces in preseason training over the past few months. Sadly, our eagerly anticipated trip to Hove was unable to go ahead, so we travelled north to Horsham RFC.
Combining with Horsham, we played a Heathfield & Waldron team that was boosted by a handful of Eastbourne players. The Widows were about to play 80 minutes of rugby against plenty of experienced players.
Credit to Heathfield; they were a well-drilled team that showed class throughout the whole game.
The Widows played with heart and determination throughout the 80 minutes, with a number of standout performances coming from our representatives. Our tireless manager Lou was a nuisance at the ruck, slowing down Heathfield's ball and being a master of the dark arts of the scrum.
Our newly appointed captain Imo displayed both sides of her game: one side being a calming presence to control the pace of the game, and the other to throw her body at anything that moves. She now gets to show off a pretty impressive eye for her troubles.
We also had two debut players who stole the spotlight. Vas, who has only been with us for a few weeks, looked at home on the rugby pitch, smashing, squatting, and bouncing would-be tacklers away, drawing admiration from the vastly experienced Heathfield players. Meanwhile, Amy slotted in at fly half and did her best to find the elusive chinks in the opposition's defence. She displayed great composure and calmness, but sadly the scoreboard didn't truly reflect her influence on the game.
Although Heathfield dominated the scoreline, the Widows left with their heads held high, knowing the positives from this match would be plentiful. Coach Karen was extremely proud of the team and couldn't wait for our next run-out, watch this space for news of our first home game of the season on October 27th against Chichester