As told by Club President Bill Ryan, when Saltash Rugby Club first started back in 1969, their very first match was against Plymouth Argaum. It seemed apt to have the Tigresses as our first opponents.

For a lot of players on the Phoenixes team, it was their very first match, with many of the ladies having only started playing rugby at the beginning of the season. Coached by Anne-Marie ‘Mac’ McIntyre and Emily ‘Peanut’ Park, this group of ladies flew into a fantastic lead early on into the match. This momentum continued throughout the whole game, with the Phoenixes getting 10 tries in total to Tigresses 3.

Led by Gail Pringle as calm and collected captain, the team maintained a calm and positive outlook which the score line matched with. An impressive opening game, which had a fantastic amount of spectators watching history happen means that the Phoenixes are buoyed with excitement for their next training session and match.

Both Mac and Peanut had the difficult decisions to make between them for players of the match, but they settled on the following:

Forward of Match- Jo Farina playing her first match as hooker and doing a fantastic job in the scrums, keeping the ball in play for Phoenixes in the first ever contested scrums.

Back of the match- Amy Dalton, another first time player who took up training to make up numbers. As scrum half, she remained calm, cool and collected and had a fantastic first match.

Player of the match- Steph Dennis, yet ANOTHER new player and first time match. She showed power and pace running through the opposition and getting the ball up the field where we wanted to.

Many spectators commented on how much of a unit the team looked and how well they played, with so many people not realising how many players had never played before. This is an absolute testament to the commitment to training and progress that both the coaches and team have put in to get this team to fly. Advice from the experienced players within the team only boosted the play more, with friendships and support systems being formed. A proud moment for Saltash RFC.

Next match is away to St Austell.

A massive thank you to CF Building and Landscaping, The Beauty Collective and Westcountry Fabrication LTD for sponsoring the team and supporting the Phoenixes from the off.