We’ve come a long way, ladies April 28, 2009

Yesterday was the fairy tale end of a season, and the opening (hopefully) of a whole new chapter of rugby for Olney Ladies.
I’ve been playing for Olney for donkeys years, since I was 18 (I’m now in the 26-34 box on surveys, eeps!) – the Ladies section was formed around 16 years ago by a bunch of men’s team WAGs who fancied a go themselves. In the early days, the social side seemed highly important and I remember when I first joined some of the legendary drinking nights (three legged pyjama pub crawl? oh yes!), and the friendly faces down the club that made me stay – and which still make me stay. There are plenty of tales of games of old girls too, from the player who hoiked a tampon up her nose to stop a nosebleed, to the player who had no idea about rucking so just piled on with a bellyflop. Legends, all of them!

We’ve come a long way since I first started and we averaged about 9 people at training and scraped together a scratch side on a Sunday morning. Yesterday brought years of work from everyone involved to fruition. All those seasons developing training, recruiting players and creating a play hard/but have fun mentality paid off. We won our league, and we now are looking to go up to North One (subject to AGM vote).

me and my sis talk tactics ahead of the big game - or are we gossiping about our weekends?

North One is a whisker off the premiership – it’s going to be a big step up, and a long way off – some of our games will be 3.5hours drive away! But it’s also going to be an excellent challenge – we always play better against harder teams and we have nothing to lose. So what if we get mullered and come back down? It will be worth a try, and I reckon we’ll do better than we think.

So what’s next for Olney Ladies? If we make the move up, then we need ultra-dedication from the players to develop our game; we need commitment to training and playing away; we need to fundraise and get support from the club for coach trips (yay!) – and most importantly, we need to keep our ethos of playing to the best of our ability – but keeping our rugby FUN (in a bun)!

prettiful!

Rugby in the digital age February 18, 2009

Yay! Thanks to a tech-friendly bod, Olney RFC now has its own YouTube channel and the first vid up there is the highlights from last year’s Olney Rugby 7s tournament.  What a cracking day that was.

Here it is:

Courting controversy? Moi? January 31, 2009

the beans shall no more be spilt

You might have noticed that I took a blog post down. I’m not one to court controversy, but it seems that I certainly headed that way with a certain posting!!

 

Wanting an easy life, I didn’t fancy my day in court – put it that way…

 

BTW, thanks to all my blogger buds and media-savvy pals for the advice and support.  Some of you wanted me to adopt a more bullish approach than I have done.   Maybe I’ll muse over it all one day once the dust has settled…

 

Hat tip to my pal for the pic!

Extreme lengths to all over exfoliation December 18, 2008

People pay a lot of money for all over beauty treatments.  Me and my buddies found a more thrifty approach to skin smoothing, which had the added bonus of losing us some calories, being total fun in a bun and giving us that winning feeling:

Top Teas November 24, 2008

Avid readers (if I have any) may have noticed my new ‘Top Teas’ page which I’ve set up on the blog. I didn’t want to crowd the regular blah with these items, so have posted them in a separate section.  Although, this means you don’t get an RSS feed when I update them, so I’m ending up posting a note in here to direct you here, which seems silly.

Maybe in future, I’ll post my review here and then add it into the separate page, so it’s easy for you to find.  Are you really fussed what I’ve eaten on a Sunday avo anyway??!!

New game discovered November 4, 2008

Rugby social on Saturday night was muchos fun, not least because of the discovery of a brand new game: human skittles.

We started our drinking circle in a nice old-man’s local type pub, the Gardiner’s Arms in Northampton, which has an alcove we always sit in and very receptive staff who love the comedy value we bring. There was a new addition to the alcove this time round: a proper old English pub style skittles game, the one with the cheeses that you throw.

Anyhoo, after a few beers and a go with the cheeses, we invented a new game which was ‘Human Skittles’. The concept is simple – instead of throwing a cheese, you throw yourself. A good run up was required and with speed on my side, I threw myself into it. I failed to get all the skittles down though, but 8 out of 9 ain’t bad.

I think it’s my new favourite game, alongside kick dancing…

Aches and pains October 30, 2008

Sunday was a well ‘ard game against Lakenham Hewitt ladies.  Due to injuries we ended up playing with only 13 girls but somehow only lost by 2 points.  It was an immense game and I really believe we should have won. We were tackling like demons towards the end and were unlucky not to get another try to win it.  The ref was possibly the worst referee I’ve come across in 12 years of playing, but that’s another story.

Besides the loss, the other outcome of Sunday was a particularly nasty bruise on my (good) knee.  See below:

Mmmm. Nice knee

My mate Robyn says it looks like her 80-year-old Nan’s knee, but I’m not sure it’s even that good.  The purple-ness is particularly luscious and I discovered last night that it extends below the knee into my calf too. Nice!  I can’t remember how I injured it (always the way) but it must have been a heck of a bundle.

Moving on to the lunchtime activities at work, which I’m getting into, on Wednesday I attended my belly-dancing class.  This is an excellent blend of hilarity, core muscle work-out and learning how to shake it.  Really shake it.  My stomach muscles were working hard with the hip rolls I was trying to perfect (unfortunately I tend to gurn or bite my lip whilst concentrating on these moves, rather than smiling beguilingly as one should) and anyhoo, later that evening my belly was sore sore sore!!

Today brought another lunchtime activity, of volleyball with my mate Robyn.  I’d not tried this before and I do like to be good at sport so I found it frustrating at times that I wasn’t immediately excellent.  However, it was ace of base fun and I got into it, but found that ‘digging’ the ball up using your fore-arms is not a nice sensation.  My arms are still smarting now!

So with a purple knee, aching stomach and smarting fore-arms I’m not doing so well this week.  But I have had fun getting into this state!

Back to rugby, with a bang! err, and a graze. and a bruise September 29, 2008

Yesterday our rugby team played the British Army ladies trial team and flipping heck it was hard work!  Not only was the sun beating down on us and the ground subsequently like concrete, we were facing people who get paid to stay fit – after 70mins this was a combo that I was not liking!

However, it was ace to play a hard game of rugby and come out the other end unscathed – a big test for my knee.  I managed to score a couple of tries and make some decent tackles (although I missed a couple, thanks to top handing off from their centre).  In a wierd way, I enjoyed getting stuck in and bashed about.  Although the slam dunk tackle that was followed by a swift bosh to my head and neck was not so fun!

The result of this ace game is I’m feeling it big time today.  Sinking into the post-match bath yesterday my grazed arms and knees were stinging away and today my ribcage is very very sore.  Could it be that I’ve unintentionally carried out my rib-cage shrinkage plan of breaking my own ribs?  My bruised bicep is tender as hell and I’m convinced some of my colleagues think I’m a battered wife (they should see my other half – no chance!).

All told, it was an excellent game against a flipping hardcore side.  We managed to win, which was exhilirating, but more important show that we’re ready to wage war on our league opponents this year.  We’re facing Old Leams ladies on Sunday and I know all of us are just champing at the bit to get stuck in.

Bring it on!

Olney RFC: exciting times… September 26, 2008

Last night I was at the open meeting that Olney Rugby Club held, to offer information on the Doff’s Field project. The club is purchasing a plot of land out the back and will transform this once neglected agricultural field into top class rugby playing facilities.
View Larger Map

There were lots of positive noises from everyone at the meeting last night – I think we all realised that this is a momentous moment in the rugby club’s history and it’s going to give us absolutely top drawer pitches, as well as lots of space for the kiddy stuff.

The challenge now is for the club to raise the £100,000 needed to complete the purchase – by August next year. It’s a big ask, and every member of the club is going to have to pull their finger out to help raise the cash.

I’m already limbering up for a sponsored bike ride to Rugby and back…(via some pubs, I hope!)

A bracing return to rugby September 8, 2008

Yesterday was our first run out of the rugby season and it was also my first game back since a horrid knee injury in October last year. (Boo to knees, by the way – they don’t look pretty, they aren’t well designed, they are tweaked easily.  Me no like.)

I’ve been rehabbing like a maniac to try and get the knee back up to fitness and to avoid an operation (which is really icky for my injury, don’t cha know), and finally I got the chance to step back on the beloved pitches of Olney yesterday.  Unfortunately our opposition could only bring 10 players – but after a bit of lending and muddling through, we were on.

Honestly? I was crapping myself with nerves at this first game back.  I had three lucky trips to the toilet that morning (work that out yourself, people) and had carbo loaded so much that I’m sure Michael Phelps would have been proud of me.  The game started ok, although I knew in my mind that I being a bit of a wimp and was holding back.

I find irritation with oneself is good motivation to change so after an internal conversation involving the mantra “do it, fucking do it!” (hat tip to Robyn for that one) I was re-charged.  The next time I got the ball I ignored everyone else outside me shouting for it (hmmm. They had lots of space.  I was facing a wall of defence. Tunnel vision perhaps?) and boshed it.  I managed to get through a few tacklers and over the line for one of the sweetest tries I’ve ever scored.  The game got better as my confidence grew and faith in the knee meant I could forget about it.  I’m also keen to forget about my attempts at conversions (one out of three)!

I have better hair than Peter Richards

The second half brought me another try as I managed to slip through a gap and find myself with the best part of half a pitch, empty, in front of me.  At full fitness, this is a dream scenario.  On return from injury?  Nightmare.  “Sodding hell” I thought – I’ve got to bloody run now.  Try line beckoning, I was off, and managed it. Hoopla!

Today, I’m feeling good. I even went for a lunchtime run.  But I think the fearfulness will be back in 2 weeks as we have our first league game, and then the following week face the British Army rugby triallists.  Now those will be a test – if I come through those intact, I reckon I’m fixed for the season (touching wood, crossing fingers – crossing arms, legs and eyes as well).