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The 2002 National 7's
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On Monday the 3rd of June, we finally ended a very long season by taking 10 under-16s and 10 under-18s to Southampton to compete in this tournament. We were one of only two clubs in the country to be able to field squads in both age groups. It was a very successful day for Scorpions and I would like to thank all of those who provided transport, medical cover and support on the day.
In the first 3 matches, The U18s beat Colstons Collegiate twice (24-0 and 36-0) but lost to Harlequins (17-12) to set up a final with Harlequins again. Some subtle tactical changes and some serious determination and tackling from the girls gave us the edge this time and we ran out 26-10 winners to win the RFUW National 7's Cup. It was a fairly emotional win as it was the last ever Scorpions game for Alex and Sheren, two of our longer-serving players. The trophy and medals were presented by England Captain, Paula George and a representative from co-sponsors, the London Fire Brigade. Many congratulations to all of the squad for a magnificent performance.
The U16 squad consisted mainly of younger players as we had moved Chloe, Nicky, Nicola and Tia up to play with the U18s. We were drawn in a very tough group with Worcester (eventual winners) and local rivals Rickmansworth School and Milton Keynes. After losing to Worcester, we comfortably beat Milton Keynes 27-0 but narrowly lost 14-12 to Rickmansworth. In the Plate competition, we then beat Portsmouth 29-0 to set up a semi-final clash with Droitwich. In a very closely fought match, we eventually lost out 12-7, to a late try. Congratulations to all of the U16s - the overall performance of the team was superb, with every one of them stepping up a level and quite a few scoring their first ever tries. It looks like we will have another very strong full U16 squad for next season.
The Scorpions squad which won the U18 National 7's Trophy, June 2002
Sheren Jellis, Scorpions U18 captain with Paula George, England captain
Helen Sherriff, Scorpions U18 player, showing her opinion of a referee's decision
Ok, hands up all those who are proud, knackered and want to go home
The Scorpions RFC U18 and U16 squads at the National 7's, June 2002
Nicky going through the tunnel after the U18s beat Harlequins to win the U18 trophy
Chloe races away to score the 2nd try in the final match against Harlequins
Whilst Craig shares his coaching genius with the Scorpions U18 squad, Nicky shows what she thinks of it !
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