Champions Saracens Women finished top of the table after 18 rounds with 17 wins and their reward is a home semi-final where they will face a Wasps FC Ladies side who finished fourth. The game will be played at Allianz Park on Saturday 13 April with kick-off at 15:00 BST.

Harlequins Ladies, finalists last season, finished six points behind Sarries in second and will also have a home tie as they welcome Loughborough Lightning to Twickenham Stoop. This match will take place on Sunday 14 April with kick-off at 14:00 BST.

In a change to the format from last season where the semi-finals were played over two legs, the winners of these games will go straight to the final which is being played at Northampton Saints’ Franklin’s Gardens ground on Saturday 27 April.

Both semi-final games will be streamed live by England Rugby and you will be able to watch on Premier15s.com as well as on England Rugby Facebook and YouTube channels.

Tyrrells Premier 15s play-off semi-finals

Saracens Women v Wasps FC Ladies (Saturday 13 April, KO 15:00 BST)

Harlequins Ladies v Loughborough Lightning (Sunday 14 April, KO 14:00 BST)

Courtesy of England Rugby

In the women’s tournament Bowdon Hightown took a step towards retaining their Premier Division status with a 2-1 win over West Conference winner Buckingham.

Charlene Mason gave Bowdon a 1-0 half time lead which was doubled by Nat Wray in the 47^th minute.  Kirsty Freshwater pulled a goal back for Buckingham a minute later but were unable to find the equaliser, including an overtime penalty corner they could not convert.

Wimbledon beat Brooklands Poynton by the same score in the second game. Well executed corners from Crista Cullen and Kate Harris saw the teams level at half time before a close range deflection from Rose Winter earned the three points for Wimbledon.

The tournament concludes at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in a fortnight’s time alongside the league finals. To buy tickets for the event click here

Report courtesy of England Hockey via Snowdon Sports

Sutton Coldfield 1 (0)
Jane Sixsmith, 62 (FG)

Slough 2 (2)
Amy Sheehan, 17 (FG)
Mel Ball, 23 (FG)

It was a tense final ten minutes for Slough, but despite a late goal from Jane Sixsmith, they were able to see off Sutton Coldfield in the Investec Women’s Play-Offs. Goals from Amy Sheehan and Laura Bailey in the first half sealed the victory.

Both teams were eager to get off to a good start  after winning their first round matches but it was Slough who broke the deadlock after 17 minutes. Becky Batsford was beaten by Sheehan, as the forward cut in from the right and struck the ball confidently on her reverse from the top of circle. This gave the side in black confidence and they forced a number of penalty corners only for Batsford to deny the East Conference winners on numerous occasions. However, after 23 minutes, Slough doubled their lead when Laura Bailey’s cross teed up Mel Ball and she neatly slotted the ball into the far corner to give her side a two goal cushion heading into the break.  

Slough continued the second half as they’d left off, but this time Batsford denied Dilly Newton, leaping across the goal and knocking the ball wide with her stick.  With 20 minutes to go it was end to end but after a continued spell of possession and pressure, Sutton Coldfield were rewarded with a goal. The ball bobbled across the face of goal and Jane Sixsmith was on hand at the far post to poke home. The Mighty Pinks pressed for an equaliser in the final few minutes but they were unable to find a breakthrough and the final score stood at 2-1.

Speaking after the game, goal scorer Amy Sheehan was delighted with the win:  “We’re feeling ecstatic! Coming into the game, we knew it was going to be really tough but having won in the first round, we were obviously keen to keep the momentum going.  It was brilliant to play at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre and we look forward to relaxing tonight before going into the final game against Wakefield tomorrow.”

Bowdon Hightown 5 (2)
Lily Wolstenholme, 6, 67 (FG, FG)
Sally Walton, 10 (FG)
Sian French, 44 (FG)
Nat Wray, 64 (FG)

Wakefield 1 (0)
Gwen Smith, 46 (PC)

Bowdon Hightown put in a strong performance to beat Wakefield 5-1, giving themselves a good chance of retaining their Premier League status.

Lily Wolstenholme opened the scoring early, putting away a loose ball after tenacious work by captain Kayleigh Humphreys on the left hand side. The Seahorses doubled their lead shortly afterwards Sally Walton finding space in the circle before firing home a fierce reverse-stick shot. A succession of penalty corners to Bowdon were well defended by Wakefield, making sure they stayed in the game in the face of severe pressure from their opponents.

The second half saw Wakefield come out the brighter, exerting sustained pressure on the Bowdon defence. However, it was Bowdon who scored next. Sian French with a fine finish to extend their lead. Wakefield swiftly replied, as Gwen Smith deflected the ball home neatly from a well-worked penalty corner. At 3-1, Wakefield were still in with a chance, but further goals by Nat Wray and a second for Wolstenholme put the game beyond doubt.

Sally Walton, speaking after the game, said: “Today was very much a team effort, but if I had to single one player out it would be young Lily Wolstenholme. She’s only 17 yet fearless in her play and able to take people on. But everyone played their part, and we’ve got to carry that on in our next match. It counts for nothing if we don’t win against Sutton Coldfield.”

The final round of Investec Women’s Hockey League Play-Offs take place Sunday with Bowdon Hightown taking on Sutton Coldfield and Slough facing Wakefield.

Relegation Play-offs – 17 April 2016

Report courtesy of England Hockey.

Trowbridge RFC hosted the first game of 2016 for Bristol Ladies today in semi-final of the Shield Playoffs. Bristol finished 5^th in the Premiership, meaning they faced Aylesford Bulls, who finished in 8^th position this season. The winner secures their place in the Premiership next season and a chance at the Shield, whilst the loser faces a battle to avoid relegation.

Both teams came out fighting, with a few big hits in the first few minutes from both sides. Once the game settled Bristol were playing some expansive and exciting rugby. A catch and drive line out was fed out to the wings, with Katie Mason showing off some great footwork – only for the ref to blow up for offside. The pressure continued to build, with the ball eventually finding its way to Sydney Gregson who dotted it down over the line.

Seven minutes later Aylesford got their first score of the afternoon after a period of sustained pressure in the Bristol 22. Taylor Kinsey found a gap through, and converted her own score taking the score to 5 – 7.

Daisy Travers was the recipient of a great offload and took advantage of an overlap to put Bristol back in lead with Lucy Demaine adding the conversion.

Half time – Bristol 12 (2 tries, 1 conv) – 7 Aylesford Bulls (1 try, 1 conv)

Bristol started the second half with a yellow card, when Poppy Leitch infringed at the breakdown after a team warning previously from the referee.

A minute after Poppy returned to the field, Bristol showed their dominance as Gregson got her second try of the afternoon.

Ten minutes before the end Aylesford received a yellow card of their own, which paved the way for Katie Mason to score for Bristol. With encouragement from the Bristol support, Mason showed her pace and strength as she powered through the Bulls defence and scored right under the posts. Lucy Demaine converted, taking the score to 24 – 7.

Aylesford kept fighting to the end, and managed to score through Catherine Spencer, who found a gap in the Bristol line to end the game with a score line of 24 – 14.

Final score – Bristol 24 (4 tries, 2 conv) – 14 (2 tries, 2 conv) Aylesford Bulls

Bristol gave a huge thank you Trowbridge RFC for hosting them today, and to the selection of U15 and U18 girls from Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset who were water girls and ball girls today. They also thanked Steve Arnold who filmed the game for them and to Rob Holman and Pete Reakes for the game day management.

Forward of the game: Sarah Hunter

Back of the game: Sydney Gregson

Voted for by the players

After the match LJ Adams (Head Coach) said: “Over the last few fixtures we’ve put in some good performances, but we hadn’t found that trigger to convert it into the results we wanted – but today that changed. It was a physical game, and Aylesford really stepped up – they were at 100% and really wanted to play at pace. We played well today, with quite a few players out of position – so it was a credit to the team who adapted well to the changes.

Next week is a chance for this squad to show what they can do – we’ve been given the opportunity to go out and win and end the season on a high, and I really believe that this squad and the talent we have can go out and achieve this. We’ll work on our attack this week, looking to be more clinical in our game, and take this performance to the next level.”

Teams:

Bristol Ladies: Katy Mason, Sue Newman, Sydney Gregson, Jade Shelkes, Daisy Travers, Lucy Demaine, Chantelle Miell, Katherine Buggy, Clara Neilson, Abbie Parsons, Kayleigh Armstrong, Amelia Buckland Hurry, Kate Newman, Poppy Leitch, Sarah Hunter

Replacements: Natalie Lewis, Trish Brown, Becky Belcher, Izzy Moore

Aylesford Ladies: Ashleigh Greenslade, Georgia Gray, Sarah Riordan, Kate Hancock, Miriam Taylor, Taylor Kinsey, Sinead Byrne, Rebecca Goodwin Schorah, Jen Vik, Carola Owla, Jennie Eyre, Laura Tolley, Kelly Davis, Elizabeth Philp, Catherine Spence

Replacements: Catherine Gent, Michelle Mayhew, Hannah Sweatman, Katy Dootson, Amy McCarthy, Marta Farda

GAME STATS:

7 mins – TRY – Bristol – Sydney Gregson, 5 – 0

14 mins – TRY – Aylesford Bulls – Taylor Kinsey, 5 – 5

15 mins – CONV – Aylesford Bulls – Taylor Kinsey, 5 – 7

26 mins – TRY – Bristol – Daisy Travers – 10 – 7

27 mins – CONV – Bristol – Lucy Demaine – 12 – 7

43 mins – YELLOW – Bristol – Poppy Leitch

55 mins – TRY – Bristol – Gregson – 17- 7

68 mins – YELLOW – Aylesford Bulls – Georgia Gray

70 mins – TRY- Bristol – Katie Mason – 22 – 7

71 mins – CONV – Bristol – Lucy Deamine – 24 – 7

75 mins – TRY – Aylesford Bulls – Catherine Spencer – 24 – 12

76 mins – CONV – Aylesford Bulls – Kinsey – 24 -14

Above photo of Daisy Travers by Rikki Teml (RMT Photography)

Report courtesy of Bristol Ladies RFC

NEXT GAME

Bristol Ladies vs Darlington Mowden Park Sharks – Cobham RFC, KO 1:30pm

The Shield final will be contested by Bristol Ladies and DMP Sharks who overcame Wasps.

All results – (match reports to follow):

Cup:

Richmond Ladies 35-0 Worcester Ladies

Saracens Ladies 19-12 Lichfield Ladies

Shield:

Wasps Ladies 33-39 DMP Sharks

Bristol Ladies 24-14 Aylesbury Bulls Ladies

Meanwhile in the Championship only one fixture survived in the North 1 league, all others postponed because of bad weather.

Championship North 1

Eccles Ladies P-P Firwood Waterloo Ladies

Loughborough Ladies P-P West Bridgford Ladies

Northwich Ladies P-P West Park Leeds Ladies

Novocastrians Ladies 59-13 Camp Hill Ladies

Championship South 1

Cheltenham Ladies 12-5 Hove Ladies

Thurrock Ladies 19-5 Richmond Ladies II

Wasps Ladies II 17-17 Henley Ladies

]]> http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2016/01/06/rfu-womens-premiership-play-offs-10-january-2016/ Wed, 06 Jan 2016 16:30:39 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=10813 Continue Reading →

Bristol started brightly from kick off, but soon found themselves camped in their own 22. They defended stoically, getting turn over ball, only to lose it in contact when trying to break back, or to knock on once securing a loose ball. After 20 minutes of solid defending Worcester found a way through and got the only score of the first half.

The second half started similarly, with the kick off going well for Bristol, but Worcester gained possession and attacked the Bristol defensive lines. Bristol’s Lucy Demaine was on fine kicking form, getting Bristol out of several situations with her accurate boot, and Bryony Cleall made some fantastic and powerful breaks. However this wasn’t enough, as Worcester again camped in the Bristol 22, and got a second and third score.

Bristol looked close to going over at the end, as Katie Mason looked to guide wave after wave of attack on the Worcester line – although spilt possession allowed Worcester to kick the ball into touch and end the game, and Bristol’s hopes of a playoff spot. Final score 15-0.

Bristol Ladies club has grown and developed through the season, having to adapt to injuries and international call ups, and has shown the strength and depth of the squad. There wasn’t a dry eye in the Bristol dressing room as the team gathered for the post-match huddle. The club will learn and grow from the experience, and will focus on the cup fixtures and other games for the rest of the season, and come back stronger next year.

Bristol gave their congratulations to Worcester and thanked all of their supporters who travelled down to support the girls.

Report from Bristol Media Manager, Emma Bacon

Photo from RMT Photography

Currently placed 4th in the League with Worcester 5th, and just two points separating them, Bristol have the slight edge.  However, Worcester come into the game after a big win against DMP Sharks, where they battled both the opposition and the elements, so the game will be far from easy.

Both teams would welcome as much support as possible – so if you are available please get along to Weston’s Field. Its a big game and both teams will be relishing the challenge.

Worcester Ladies v Bristol Ladies

Date: SATURDAY 19th Dec

Time: KO is 1:30pm

Venue: Weston’s Field, Offerton, WR38SX

In the play offs this weekend Featherstone Rovers welcomed Bradford and in a hard fought contest it was Featherstone who emerged victorious 26-14. Featherstone’s Gemma Walsh scored two tries and Emma Slowe and Grace Field both scored one each. Katie Cooper-Birkenhead converted two of the tries and also landed two drop goals.

Bradford’s Charlene Hennegan scored two tries and Lois Forsell scored one, Jess Courtman converted two tries but on the day Featherstone had the edge to earn the win.

Selby Warriors hosted Normanton Knights and it was the visitors who dominated throughout to earn a 50-4 win. Normanton’s Lucy Eastwood led the way with a hat-trick of tries, Claire Barnes also scored twice. There were further tries for Katie Hepworth, Beth Weir, Dani Rose and Ellie Lamb to seal the victory for Normanton.

Selby Warriors 4-50 Normanton Knights

Featherstone Rovers 26-14 Bradford Thunderbirds

Report by Rebecca Bird

Selby Warriors welcomed Wigan St Patricks and again it was the travelling side who grabbed the win 21-12 to Wigan in a superbly contested game.

Bradford Thunderbirds played host to Stanningley Ladies and in a high scoring affair it was Bradford who came out on top with an impressive display winning 56-30. Bradford’s Lois Forsell led the way a hat-rick of tries with Rhiannon Marshall scoring twice. There were further tries for Bradford from Manina Spurr, Shona Hoyle, Dani Bose, Kirsty Moroney and Lauren Hickey. Rhiannon Marshall landed one goal and Lisa Taylor was on target with seven. Stanningley’s Sarah Dunn and Rachel Barker both impressed scoring three tries each and Tasha Gaines converted three.

The second round of play offs will take place on Sunday 27 September with the Grand Finals on 4 October, 2015.  Fixtures will be updated as soon as we have the information.

Sunday 20th September 2015

Bradford Thunderbirds 56-30 Stanningley

Selby Warriors 12-21 Wigan St Patricks

Oulton Raidettes 4-40 Normanton Knights

Featherstone Rovers 4-24 Thatto Heath Crusaders

BYE V West Craven Warriors

Play Offs Round 2: Sunday 27^th September

 Grand Final: Sunday 4^th October

Report by Rebecca Bird