Saturday 24th February Inner Warrior Tournament;

Saturday saw our Horsham Lionesses enter the mid season Inner Warrior tournament, kindly hosted by Cranleigh RFC. A perfect opportunity for those new or returning to rugby, to line up with our more experienced lionesses for a festival style tournament alongside other local development teams. The Lionesses played 4 games of 20 minutes each against Dorking, Portsmouth University, Chichester & our hosts Cranleigh.

Our first match was against a strong Dorking side, and although our players were a little tentative at first, they showed a stubbornness in defence. Some dominant tackles from the forwards kept the opposition down to only 1 score and a great individual try from Captain Chloe Murray clinched a draw. This was the first of three tries for our Captain Chloe, who lead the team in perfect style throughout the tournament.

By matches 2 against Potsmouth University and 3 against Chichester, the ladies had found their confidence. Putting their training in to full effect much to the delight of the coaches, the Lionesses gave a masterclass in attacking led by some great teamwork from the backs. Solid defence and dominant tackles from the forwards put the opposition in trouble from the first whistle. Kit Ahweyevu was a menace both in defence and taking any opportunity to score. Alison Baker and Charlotte Rhodes both deserve mentions for some impressive ball carrying and gains from breaking the opposition defence.

The competition was strong from all of the teams taking part and so match 4, against the home team, determined the overall outcome of the tournament. The Lionesses came out looking confident, and immediately put their mark on the game, continuing their impressive play. Catherine Bradborn was particularly tenacious and ended the day having scored a hattrick of tries and executing some hugely impressive tackles. In the end the determination showed by every member of the team carried them through to win the match, and the tournament.

Many of our development players have only played one or two matches previously, with others returning from injury or maternity, or playing completely out of position. Every player gave brilliant performances, but seeing the team come together was something special. Coaches and organisers praised all of the participants not just for their performance but their spirit and positivity. Congratulations to everyone on 'the most enjoyable and fun afternoon of rugby we've watched in a long time' - according to one spectator. Thanks to Cranleigh for their excellent organisation and we look forward to the next tournament in April.

Match report from Jason Baker and Victoria Coward.