Tylorstown Reach Semi-Finals at Aberaeron 7s

The squad travelled up on the Friday, camping close to the rugby field.  The first challenge of the weekend was pitching the tents which took an exhausting two and a half hours. 

The Ladies competition took place on the Saturday with the Welsh Leagues well represented with Tyly, Rhigos, Blaenau Gwent, Llandaff North, UWIC, Chester and Birchgrove all in attendance.  They were joined by Loughborough University, the Pink BaaBaas (a London-based touring team) and a Fijian team. 

Tylorstown’s first opponents in the group stage were UWIC and after a good warm up, the Tylorstown Ladies started on form.  They secured possession from the kick off and made ground with every passage of play, which resulted in Naomi Thomas side-stepping her way over the line.  This set the tone for the game with the result being a 27-0 victory to Tylorstown. 

The next team in Tylorstown’s group was Chester.  Having never played them before, Tylorstown were unsure what to expect.  However, confident from the previous result, Tylorstown quickly had the score board ticking over  Final score 36-0 to Tylorstown.  The score line would have been even greater had Amy ‘Bambi’ Thompson not fumbled the ball under the posts unopposed.  This would have resulted in a fine hat-trick.  The laughters were soon stifled when the 6 remaining players had to trudge their way 60 metres up field for the resulting scrum. 

With a 3 hour gap between games, the more experienced players headed off for tea and cakes in Aberaeron, while those suffering from fatigue retired to their damp tents to do suduko and eat bananas. 

The next stage was the quarter finals and local rivals Rhigos were the opposition.  The first score came from a well worked line-out from Lynne Jones and Jamie Kift.  Rhigos defended well but Tylorstown had the majority of possession and used it well.  Stacey Saunders linked well with Amy Thompson to score out wide.  Tylorstown won this game 32-0.  A special mention must go to new recruit Norma Howells, who encountered some rib-tickling tackles. 

With a change to the schedule, Tylorstown met Loughborough University in the semi-final.  The squad knew this was going to be a tough test and weren’t disappointed.  Loughborough were first to score with Naomi Thomas levelling the score for Tylorstown soon after.  This pattern of play followed and Tylorstown thought they had the game won when Clare Flowers scored a fantastic individual try mid way through the second half.  By now the very vocal and large crowd were cheering the Tylorstown girls on with every move, as they were the only Welsh team left in the tournament.  However, there was enough time for Loughborough to come back and steal the game 19 points to 15.  This game was worthy of the final as Loughborough went on to claim the title with a one-sided victory 25-0 against the Pink BaaBaas. 

Despite this, the ladies celebrated with Hawaiian fancy dress in the evening.  Top marks go to Rhian Adams for her costume!

A number of players made their 7s rugby debut at Aberaeron.  Special mentions must go to Stacey Green and Norma ‘Normski’ Howells who despite being new players, looked confident and very capable on the field.  It was also great to have international outside half Stacey Saunders back after a season out.  Team Manager Laura Kelland said “Next year, Tylorstown are determined to go one step further and not just win the tournament but actually erect the tents in under an hour”. 

Tylorstown are entering the National 10s to be held at Llandaff North on Sunday 10th September.  Also a friendly has been arranged against Tredegar Ironsides on Wednesday 13th September at the Recreation Ground, Tredegar. 

Tylorstown Ladies are looking to recruit players of all standards.  Anyone interested is welcome to come and join us any Monday or Wednesday for training at Penrhys Park, 7-8.30pm or call Rachel on 07917 035473 for more information.