PERSHORE Women are celebrating after winning the 2016 Midlands Ladies’ Touch League.
Pershore won all of their matches at the final Midlands-wide Super Sunday, which featured ten teams and was held at Droitwich.
This overall triumph is in addition to the South West 2016 title Pershore claimed in early October.
It was a dramatic finale as Pershore were level with both Ross and Stratford on 38 points going into the final Super Sunday tournament.
Pershore won all of their pool matches and then, in their semi-final, pushed Stratford into the third place play-off with a 1-0 win.
It was all to play for in the final against Ross, who scored first, but Pershore’s Emmie Bewley equalised just before full time when she side-stepped the Ross defence.
This forced the final into extra-time and meant a drop-off which saw both teams reduced to five players.
Bewley scored again to clinch glory for Pershore, the rest of whose squad featured: Alice Keylock (coach), Emmie Bewley (five tries), Natalie Bewley (one try), Sharon Moore (team player of the tournament), Sian White, Emma Field (one try), Kiele Dee (eight tries), Teresa Crowley (one try), Sue Breay (one try) and Verity Farr (two tries).
Together with Fizz Bewley and Sarah Thomas, they brought the team’s overall season try count to 164.
Fizz Bewley, chairwoman of Pershore Rugby Club’s touch section, said: “This win has come on the back of more than four years’ training and commitment by all of our players and our fabulous coach Alice Keylock.
“The vast majority of our team came to Pershore with no rugby experience, so we are all testament to Alice’s skill and the way she makes every training session fun.
“We have also had tremendous support and encouragement from other women and men in our section too, who provide really tough opposition at training.
“Pershore men’s first team vice-captain Ash White provides support coaching and he and John Staveley have trained as Level 1 England Touch Association referees as well, which is invaluable.
“During the next few months it will be our prime time to recruit new players to come and try their hand at touch and be part of a ladies social/development team that we are nurturing alongside the competition squad.
“Ladies who join us that way need not have any experience at all and can train and play at their own pace, with friendlies to look forward to, rather than the league tournaments.”
The club’s entire ladies’ set-up train together at PRFC every Wednesday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 10.30am.
Anyone aged 13 and over can come along and have a go. The first three sessions are free. Contact Fizz on 01905 381080 for details.