You might have mistaken it for just another grey, overcast, and slightly chilly November Sunday afternoon, especially given the setting just across the border into West Sussex. Yet, for nineteen determined women, this day was anything but ordinary. They were on the verge of etching their names into the annals of Crowborough Rugby Club’s long and distinguished history, marking a milestone that would be remembered for years to come.

Following a very brief period of full contact training, the newly established CRFC Women’s XV, led by coach Adam Bavin and on-field captain Sharon Green, stepped onto the field to play against East Grinstead, a team with significantly more experience.
The team were made of a smattering of our current crop of U18 girls who have played rugby for Crowborough for a number of seasons, a couple of ladies who have now graduated through the youth ranks, a few ex-players but mostly brand new players who have never played before.

The ladies took the field for kick off with the inspirational words of club captain Ollie Jude-Trailor ringing in their ears “Play for each other today, play for the shirt and most of all, play for yourself because you’ve worked hard to get here. Crows fly together!” when you put it like that…….
Crowborough won the toss and scrum half, Eva Murray, got proceedings underway by sending a kick sailing into the EG half resulting in a knock on and leading to the ladies first scrum of the day. Big shove from EG but Crowborough retained the ball with No.8 and vice-Captain, Hailey Gorringe securing the ball with a pick and go from the base of the scrum. With the ball being protected well through the phases by Crowborough, coaches Adam and Andy looked at each other with raised eyebrows both thinking – well they have been listening. This should be interesting.

Early carries from newbies Chloe Lewin, Catherine Watts and our very own Club General Manager, Louise Greenaway showed that we came to play. First penalty of the game to Crowborough. Captain and vice captain combined for a tap and go tip pass which saw Hailey smash through the defence and make metres. Ably supported by both flankers, Donna Woodgate and Laura Russell, who were quick to seal the ruck and help secure red and white ball.

More newbie forward action with Jo Brooker receiving the pass off of Murray and sticking in a fantastic bit of second row footwork and exploding into the opponents 22. With Murray being pinned into the ruck Crowborough were without their 9. This is where quick thinking from one of the u18 girls came into its own as inside centre Cerys Martin stood in for 9 and shifted the ball away from danger. More attritional phase play saw EG get hold of the ball for a second and then clear their lines only to see a red and white wall come back at them again. You could read the expressions “this wasn’t supposed to be how this game goes!”
Another penalty saw the hard running forward pair of Green and Gorringe melt the defence with Sharon taking the ball into contact and a slick one handed offload to Hailey.

EG managed to rip the ball away and gain some possession. Crowborough transitioned beautifully from attack to defence. This was time to see if the defence looked as good as the attack. And boy did it! A few tackles from the more experienced girls as expected then a slight line break looked liked it might occur on EG right wing as they had space and numbers but Karolina McGloin soon put a stop to any thoughts of getting round the side forcing the EG 9 to kick to get some territory back only to see Natahsa Beesley scoop up the bouncing ball and run back another 25 metres into the EG half to win a penalty which saw a Murray and Martin connection which saw the little hard running centre burst through only to be chopped down by the full back in blue.

Knock on from borough led to a EG scrum which didn’t actually move this time as the Crowborough ladies had grown accustomed to what scrummaging felt like against actual people and not just a machine. As a result we saw the pack win a scrum against the head with an expert and delicate strike by hooker by Katie Jupp. The resulting scrum saw Jessica Wood at fly half get her hands on the ball and gave her a chance to stretch her legs.

East Grinstead final got hold of the ball and after nearly 10 minutes of constant attacking from Crowborough and they put together a number of well constructed phases and with a bit of flashy footwork from their scrum half they scored the first try of the day in the corner. The score was 5 – 0 to East Grinstead but the girls and the pretty large travelling support were all muttering in agreement that this was totally against the run of play.
Another great soaring kick off by Murray saw EG placed under immediate pressure by Watts on the wing and then Jupp annihilated someone twice her size to win a Borough line out where we eventually got hold of slippery pill to see Woodgate fire through a gap.
EG came back at us for a few phases of well structured attack until Brooker chopped the attack down to size forcing the knock on.
EG were starting to get ,ore of a foothold into the game as the half went on when they were awarded a penalty on 10 metre, they managed to really test the metal of the borough defence by sticking the kick midway into the crows 22. A nice looking lineout and some very nice running saw EG traverse the pitch with their backs and score in the opposite corner. 10 – 0. With their tails up after that score it wasn’t long before they were dotting down once more after a line break though the middle led to a score in the corner. 15 – 0. All the ball and all of the play still saw Crowborough at 0 points but there were still 15 smiles on pitch!

Time for a few substitutions which saw Erin McArdle and Lara Frank enter the fray.

McArdle was straight in amongst it as per normal making hit after hit which is not unusual although she had come on to replace Maja Mierzejewska at 13. Frank was on in her more usual area of the pitch, in with the pack and was similarly up to her old tricks being at every breakdown and contesting for the ball time after time and proving to be a big headache for EG
McArdle made a strong run handing off defender after defender. EG couldn’t handle the marauding stand in centre and had to bring her down with a high tackle. Initiative started to swing towards Crowborough as the EG infringement count keep rolling upwards as they couldn’t contain the force of Crowborough ladies. Penalty for offside on the 5 metre line and the EG defence were taken by surprise as Natahsa Beesley took it up her self to tap and go quickly only to find the EG defence napping and score to brig us back into the game. The first CRFC women’s try had been scored and the crowd went wild! 15 – 5 and we were believing again.

Wave after wave of Crowborough attack was too much for the EG defence to deal with as we saw some great combinations with a mix of forward ball of the breakdown and getting the backline involved in the action and all controlled perfectly by a combo of our brand new fly half Jessica Wood and Eva at 9. It was Murray who went over to bring the score within a try with a classic 9’s sniper try as she saw some space open up in front of her and pounced to glide over the whitewash.
Half time 15 – 10. What a half of rugby.

Few more subs at half time saw Nadine Reading and Caroline Watkins come off the bench and give a well earned breather to a few of their team mates.
Going into the 2nd half taken aback by the skill and quality EG came out of the blocks quickly with a renewed vigour and it wasn’t long before they had scored twice in quick succession. Borough didn’t let their heads go down through. They were resolute and carried on defending hard. EG threatened with a lovely cross field kick into the corner but the quick thinking of McGloin saved a try. The resulting few phases led to another score for EG as they started to turn the screw with the pace of their backs. But still the red and white heads didn’t drop as they back out there to fight again.

EG carried on piling on the pressure throughout the 2nd half and it was Borough’s turn to spend a long time valiantly defending. Some big hits going in from Reading who had just come on and from Sharon Green, who was winding the years back with some deep dormant muscle memory as the tackles she was putting in we’re those of a seasoned pro and not someone who hadn’t played for a while.
EG scored again which meant we were kicking back. Murray launched one which bounced just before their 22. As it wasn’t caught cleanly the bounce gave the Crowborough defence something to chase and apply pressure to. Even after being scored against a number of times in quick succession the tackles kept coming in the midfield from all players.
EG managed to break through and without the superb stopping power of Beesley who had left the field injured, it was up to recently back from uni Maja to fill in at fullback. Result – Maja 1 – EG attacker 0!
The pressure stayed high from EG as Crowborough, forever valiant in defence couldn’t get a foothold in attack. A few attempts to exit their half were thwarted by equally good defensive from EG. The Grinstead coaches were almost reaching for the kicking tee as EG managed to manufacture a 3 on 1. Out of nowhere Nadine Reading appears like an apparition in red and white and produces a try saving tackle on the run and from behind AND ties the ball up in the tackle giving McArdle the time and opportunity to jackal the ball and earn Crowborough some respite deep in their 22.

AS the game ran on EG continued to let their experience show and again created an overload on the wing to run in one last try to make the score 46 – 10. The East Grinstead coaches, supporters and even the referee all said that the score did not reflect the game as everyone on this historic day was treated to a wonderful afternoon of rugby.

Defiant to the last and heads held extremely high the Crowborough ladies embraced their East Grinstead opponents like they were long lost relatives. This was a rugby match new in era but old as far as values were concerned. The huge travelling crowd clapped and cheered the ladies off of the pitch for a well earned drink and a sit down. I think I even heard one of our ladies ask when our next match is.
Into the clubhouse for a shared drink and player of the match awards with plaudits being shared within the Crowborough ranks between Eva Murray, Hailey Gorringe (vc) and Sharon Green (capt.)

Alas dear reader, this is where I leave you. Long after the bruises have healed, the memories of what was achieved this day will live on. In the end, what resonates most is not the result on the scoreboard but the spirit that bound everyone together on that pitch—a day marked by camaraderie, resilience, and the unyielding passion that defines women’s rugby. As the final whistle fades and stories begin to grow in the retelling, it's clear that the bonds formed and the pride felt will echo through future matches, inspiring those who were there and those who will follow. Regardless of the score, the real winner today…..women’s rugby.