Darts girls showed massive heart and commitment againt Ashford

The game was a little one sided with the Ashford team boasting a significant amount of county players and many of the team being members of the squad who reached the national finals last season.

That said there was much for the crowd to enjoy, the front row of Phoebe, Tierney and Emily had Milly and Janner in the boiler house behind them. Elizabeth was our token back row forward.

The girls fought hard to hold back the attacks from Ashford and it was noticeable that the players who were new to the game were putting in tackles on significantly more experienced opposition.

At half time we were informed that one more score would mean that Ashford had won and the game could conclude. The coaches asked the girls whether they wanted to continue playing, a resounding yes was the response. The next question was whether they wanted to play mix and match or stay as a team of Darts, a unanimous decision to stick as a team and play with their mates was the reply.

The coaches were impressed with the effort that the girls continued to put in and it was a shame that we lost Milly to an injury following her third tackle of the opposition’s largest player. Unfortunately that individual fell on top of Milly and she was forced to leave the field, we wish her a speedy return.

Whether or not Ashford noticed the loss, they kept 13 players on the pitch whilst Darts fought valiantly with 12.

There is little doubt that the back line of Faye at scrum half, Evie fly half, Captain Ewa in the centre with Izzy, Tali on one wing with Eleanor on the other and Poppy covering full back, will be a potent force in the future. It has been a steep learning curve but the never give up attitude and the fact that the opposition scored less points in the second half than the first, shows a continuing improvement.

Ashford continued with the relentless attack of a team who knew each other, had four replacements and could have rolling subs.

All the above said, it was heartening to listen to the girls and hear how determined they were. We hope that the girls understand that Rome was not built in a day and we are extremely proud of their determination to fight on. The referee commented that if the game had been judged by determination and spirit, the Darts girls would have won the game.