A reminder to all readers that - now the Sevens is over - all news and discussion has now switched to the Hertfordshire Girls' Rugby blog.
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Thursday, May 18, 2006
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
TV reports on Herts Sevens
Okay - maybe one more post!Because cameras from Anglia TV were at the Sevens on Sunday and two reports were later broadcast on Sunday and Monday evenings, and thanks to Mike Alcock - one the Letchworth parents - I've managed to get a copy.
If you missed them then then here (Sunday & Monday) to watch the reports (total of about two and a half minutes).
Amongst the "highlights" you will see:
Interviews with:
- Carla Kelly and Hayley Guilder (Letchworth),
- Emma Cramphorn and Jess Lane (Welwyn),
- and some other bloke.
- Becket Barbarians (U17s)
- Becket Blues (U14s)
- Hellesdon High School, Norwich (U14s)
- Letchworth (U14s)
- Uttlesford (U17s)
- Welwyn (U14s)
Plus:
- Various crowd scenes!
- A staggeringly patronising introduction (to the Monday broadcast)!
You can also download low quality (under 1MB) versions of each broadcast here:
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Congratulations to Basildon & Welwyn... and thanks to everyone else...
...for helping make it a memorable event.
For the record... after eight hours of play (yes - it did overrun a bit!):
U14s
Cup: 1: Welwyn; 2: Saracens, 3=: Basildon & Westcliffe
Plate: 1: Rochford; 2: Milton Keynes; 3: Becket Blues
Bowl: 1: Hellesdon; 2: Letchworth; 3: Uttlesford
U17s:
Cup: 1: Basildon; 2: Hertford; 3=: Letchworth & Welwyn
Plate: 1: Paviors; 2: Westcliffe; 3=: Rochford & Uttlesford
Bowl: 1: Becket Barbarians; 2: Daventry; 3=: Milton Keynes & Wasps
Shield: 1: Romford; 2: Becket Belles; 3: Letchworth/Saracens
[I have the detailed scores from the pool stages, but after that... well it didn't matter as much and finding referees became a greater priority. However, in response to one or two requests, detailed results are noew available - see the column on the right]
There were many outstanding games - and a lot of very impressed spectators who'd not seen much girls' rugby before. It was particularly good to see new teams like Wasps, Hellesdon High School and Romford learn and improve game by game - all three of them had won at least one game by the end of the day, and two went home with trophies.
Basildon were worthy winners in the U17s, especially after a pulsating semi-final against Welwyn (revenge, perhaps, for their defeat at the Rochford 10s festival in October), and the final placings are probably an accurate reflection of where the strength of East (and East Midlands) girls' rugby has been this season.
In the U14s the clear favourites won - and who would bet against Welwyn's juniors taking the national title as well in two weeks times? Elsewhere the U14 competition was far probably closer than the U17s - Saracens winning Pool C on tries scored, and Westcliff pipping Basildon to Pool B by a single bonus point.
For most of you your season is now complete and you can put your feet up . As you do, spare a thought for the poor saps from Basildon, Welwyn (U14s and U17s) and Letchworth (U17s) who will still be fighting the good fight for two more weeks. Yes, these gluttons for punishment are going to do it all again in two weeks time - at the Nationals. And after today's experience, who would bet against an East region name being on the trophies!
Any feedback would be very welcome. Seriously. Suggestions for improvements, what went well (how useful was this blog?), what didn't, etc. would be very welcome.
And so it ends. For this year. The host for next year's Herts Sevens has yet to be decided (or even discussed) yet, but hopefully we'll see you all back in the county for that. In between times there's the Rochford 10s Festival on 22nd October (not the 29th, as the programme suggested) to look forward to - definately not to be missed. See you there!!
Finally... this is where this blog closes down - hopefully to be revive next year. I was tempted to talk about little white dots fading on the screen, but its a sign of age I guess for anyone to understand what I might mean. Anyway, I will now be transferring business to a new blog - http://hertsgirls.blogspot.com - to give a similar news and comment service on the girls county scene in Hertfordshire. If you'd care to join me there you'd be very welcome.
And in the meanwhile, why not start your own blog? Its not just a management tool (though its a useful one) but it can be fun as well. Lets have some English girls rugby blogs out there - why should (the otherwise excellent, but still very American whatever you say, Blondie!) Saturday's a Rugby Day have all the fun?
[PS - don't forget to check out the tournament phots on http://rugbymatters.net. Expect them to start appearing from the middle of the week - and keep going back as new photos will be added as they are processed. RugbyMatters also do a very fast and effective turnround time on prints - so get your orders in as well.]
[PPS - Anglia TV's report on the day went out at around 6.20pm on Sunday - which we were doing the presentations. I am trying to get a copy of the recording and will post it on here shudl I manage to do so].
For the record... after eight hours of play (yes - it did overrun a bit!):
U14s
Cup: 1: Welwyn; 2: Saracens, 3=: Basildon & Westcliffe
Plate: 1: Rochford; 2: Milton Keynes; 3: Becket Blues
Bowl: 1: Hellesdon; 2: Letchworth; 3: Uttlesford
U17s:
Cup: 1: Basildon; 2: Hertford; 3=: Letchworth & Welwyn
Plate: 1: Paviors; 2: Westcliffe; 3=: Rochford & Uttlesford
Bowl: 1: Becket Barbarians; 2: Daventry; 3=: Milton Keynes & Wasps
Shield: 1: Romford; 2: Becket Belles; 3: Letchworth/Saracens
[I have the detailed scores from the pool stages, but after that... well it didn't matter as much and finding referees became a greater priority. However, in response to one or two requests, detailed results are noew available - see the column on the right]
There were many outstanding games - and a lot of very impressed spectators who'd not seen much girls' rugby before. It was particularly good to see new teams like Wasps, Hellesdon High School and Romford learn and improve game by game - all three of them had won at least one game by the end of the day, and two went home with trophies.
Basildon were worthy winners in the U17s, especially after a pulsating semi-final against Welwyn (revenge, perhaps, for their defeat at the Rochford 10s festival in October), and the final placings are probably an accurate reflection of where the strength of East (and East Midlands) girls' rugby has been this season.
In the U14s the clear favourites won - and who would bet against Welwyn's juniors taking the national title as well in two weeks times? Elsewhere the U14 competition was far probably closer than the U17s - Saracens winning Pool C on tries scored, and Westcliff pipping Basildon to Pool B by a single bonus point.
For most of you your season is now complete and you can put your feet up . As you do, spare a thought for the poor saps from Basildon, Welwyn (U14s and U17s) and Letchworth (U17s) who will still be fighting the good fight for two more weeks. Yes, these gluttons for punishment are going to do it all again in two weeks time - at the Nationals. And after today's experience, who would bet against an East region name being on the trophies!
Any feedback would be very welcome. Seriously. Suggestions for improvements, what went well (how useful was this blog?), what didn't, etc. would be very welcome.
And so it ends. For this year. The host for next year's Herts Sevens has yet to be decided (or even discussed) yet, but hopefully we'll see you all back in the county for that. In between times there's the Rochford 10s Festival on 22nd October (not the 29th, as the programme suggested) to look forward to - definately not to be missed. See you there!!
Finally... this is where this blog closes down - hopefully to be revive next year. I was tempted to talk about little white dots fading on the screen, but its a sign of age I guess for anyone to understand what I might mean. Anyway, I will now be transferring business to a new blog - http://hertsgirls.blogspot.com - to give a similar news and comment service on the girls county scene in Hertfordshire. If you'd care to join me there you'd be very welcome.
And in the meanwhile, why not start your own blog? Its not just a management tool (though its a useful one) but it can be fun as well. Lets have some English girls rugby blogs out there - why should (the otherwise excellent, but still very American whatever you say, Blondie!) Saturday's a Rugby Day have all the fun?
[PS - don't forget to check out the tournament phots on http://rugbymatters.net. Expect them to start appearing from the middle of the week - and keep going back as new photos will be added as they are processed. RugbyMatters also do a very fast and effective turnround time on prints - so get your orders in as well.]
[PPS - Anglia TV's report on the day went out at around 6.20pm on Sunday - which we were doing the presentations. I am trying to get a copy of the recording and will post it on here shudl I manage to do so].
Friday, May 12, 2006
U14 competition: Important changes
Unfortunately Kibworth and Holt & West Norfok have had to withdraw from the U14 event.
As a result Pools B and D will now merge to form a single, four-team group consisting of Basildon, Becket Blues, Letchworth, and Westcliff. All of these teams existing matches will still take place at the same time as previously arranged, but each team will now have one extra game. The games in this new, enlarged, Pool B will be:
11:30 - Letchworth v Becket Blues (Pitch 2) and Basildon v Westcliff (Pitch 3)
12:10 - Becket Blues v Westcliff (Pitch 2) and Basildon v Letchworth (Pitch 3)
12:30 - Letchworth v Westcliff (Pitch 2) and Basildon v Becket Blues (Pitch 3)
There will also be changes to the timings and structure of the knock out stages:
Cup Competition
As a result Pools B and D will now merge to form a single, four-team group consisting of Basildon, Becket Blues, Letchworth, and Westcliff. All of these teams existing matches will still take place at the same time as previously arranged, but each team will now have one extra game. The games in this new, enlarged, Pool B will be:
11:30 - Letchworth v Becket Blues (Pitch 2) and Basildon v Westcliff (Pitch 3)
12:10 - Becket Blues v Westcliff (Pitch 2) and Basildon v Letchworth (Pitch 3)
12:30 - Letchworth v Westcliff (Pitch 2) and Basildon v Becket Blues (Pitch 3)
There will also be changes to the timings and structure of the knock out stages:
Cup Competition
- The top two teams from the enlarged Pool B will be joined by the winners of Pools A and C
- The semi finals, will now be at 14:10 instead of 14:30
- The 3rd place play-off will now be at 14:50
- The final will be at 15:30
Plate Competition
- The plate competition will now be decided by a three team group consisting of the runners up from Pools A and C and the third placed side from Pool B
- Matches will be played on Pitch 2 at 13:50, 14:30, and 15:10
Bowl Competition
- The bowl competition will also now be decided by a three team group consisting of the third placed sides from Pools A and C and the fourth placed side from Pool B
- Matches will be played on Pitch 3 at 13:50, 14:30, and 15:10
All of these amendments have now been incorporated into the tournament plans and accessible through the links in the column on the right.
Smile for the cameras!
Anglia television have just said that they will be sending a film crew to Herts Sevens on Sunday!The reporter is due to arrive some time in the morning, presumably with the aim of including a report in the afternoon's regional news slot - so set those videos now!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
80 hours to kick off. "Light rain" forecast, so don't forget the sun block!
The programmes are now printed and stowed the clubhouse, car parking signs are done, pitch markings are begining to appear, pitch marshalls are appointed and allocated, 464's water has arrived, we've got some brand new balls... and Letchworth's girls survived the final training session with no serious injuries.What more is there? Well, the final planning meeting is tomorrow evening so we'll see. Should we hire portaloos and will anyone use them if we do was the burning question of the moment last time...
Only problem is that the promised rain has failed to arrive. The promising downpours of Monday has all but dried up now, and the torrential rain and storms of today turned into baking heat. So this evening the ground was pretty solid again.
I mean what do these forecasters do - toss coins? Pull random words from a bag? Might as well, frankly.
For what its worth the BBC weather centre says no rain now until Sunday, and then light rain on the day. So expect a heatwave...
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Paviors to the rescue: Notts team to replace Stevenage in Pool B
Stevenage Swifts have had to withdraw from the U17 Sevens due to injuries, but a replacement team have been found - Paviors - who will now play in Pool B.Paviors come from Arnold in Nottinghamshire, which is just north of the city of Nottingham. They would appear to be a useful side as well, having reach the semi-final stages of the National Cup.
Because they are coming from slightly further away than Stevenage they have asked if their first game can be put back. So the first games in Pools B and C of the U17 competition will now be:
10.30: Hertford vs Rochford Hundred (Pitch 4) (Referee: Saracens)
10.50: Paviors vs Milton Keynes (Pitch 4) (Referee: Basildon 2)
All other games are unaffected.
Monday, May 08, 2006
The world's most complicated rugby tournament?
No - not this one.
I happened to glance at the format of the forthcoming Women's Rugby World Cup (to be held in Canada in September). I noticed that in the 12 team event England had been drawn in the same group as Australia and Ireland, which means (obviously) that in their pool games they will play... the USA, South Africa, and France.
Pardon?
No - that's the way it works. And then somehow - magically - after playing games against teams not in the same group as them, all the teams in the competition will be ranked 1-12 (how?) and will then play semi finals and finals.
I can't help thinking that if I'd come up with a structure like this for our tournament (and the U14s have 12 teams...) I've been lynched. And justifiably too!
Anyone wishing to try to get their mind round this is welcome to visit http://www.rwcwomens.com/
I happened to glance at the format of the forthcoming Women's Rugby World Cup (to be held in Canada in September). I noticed that in the 12 team event England had been drawn in the same group as Australia and Ireland, which means (obviously) that in their pool games they will play... the USA, South Africa, and France.
Pardon?
No - that's the way it works. And then somehow - magically - after playing games against teams not in the same group as them, all the teams in the competition will be ranked 1-12 (how?) and will then play semi finals and finals.
I can't help thinking that if I'd come up with a structure like this for our tournament (and the U14s have 12 teams...) I've been lynched. And justifiably too!
Anyone wishing to try to get their mind round this is welcome to visit http://www.rwcwomens.com/
IRB adds Women to World Cup 7s in 2009
A little international news, but by the time 2009 comes around a few of the girls at the Sevens on Sunday might be in the running for this. To quote from near the end the IRB's volunminous press release...
"To highlight the growth of Sevens, one of the of the key recommendations of the IRB Strategic Plan for Women's Rugby developed last year was the introduction of a Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens with the aim of providing an elite level of women's Sevens tournament which will raise the profile of the Women's Game on a global scale. It is the first time that there has been a major focus on the Women's Game and the introduction of an integrated tournament is not just an exciting development for Women's rugby, but also Rugby Sevens," Said IRB chair Dr Syd Millar.
"The Strategic Plan for Women's Rugby is designed to increase the competitiveness and profile of Women's Rugby on a global scale through a number of high performance, management and tournament initiatives, and the introduction of an integrated Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament is a key initiative," explained IRB Council Member with responsibility for Women's Rugby Chris Le Fevre.
"The IRB believes that an integrated Rugby World Cup Sevens, allied to the ever increasing number of participating Unions and healthy attendance and broadcast figures, further re-enforce Rugby Sevens' strong case for introduction into the Olympic Games sporting programme," added Dr Millar."
(Far be it for me to be slightly uncharitable here, but does that last paragraph maybe explain the IRB's suddenly seeing the light?) .
Anyway - more here - Saturday's a rugby day
Six days to go - the countdown begins...
Pretty much everything now in place.
Transport
If you are planning to travel in anything that will require a larger parking bay than a standard car, please let us know as soon as possible.
Weather forecast
Forecasts are for quite a lot of of rain in Letchworth over the next few days - even flash floods in some parts of the county (not a problem for us as the ground itself is near the top of a hill). This will hopefully soften the ground up a bit.
The long range forecast for Sunday itself is occasional showers.
Transport
If you are planning to travel in anything that will require a larger parking bay than a standard car, please let us know as soon as possible.
Weather forecast
Forecasts are for quite a lot of of rain in Letchworth over the next few days - even flash floods in some parts of the county (not a problem for us as the ground itself is near the top of a hill). This will hopefully soften the ground up a bit.
The long range forecast for Sunday itself is occasional showers.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Getting ready for sevens
Sevens is a very different sort of game, requiring its own special preparation. However, although there are any number of coaching resources out there for the 15-a-side game, resources aimed at Sevens are remarkably few and far between.
The following two are amongst the most comprehensive availble, and also have the benefits of being available free...
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