There are not many better feelings in rugby than winning a trophy, but winning a trophy after a play-off match against your closest rivals in your club’s 100th year is a bit extra special.
And that is what Broughton did by claiming the Arnold Clark Women’s Caledonia Midlands East One silverware after beating Dundee Valkyries 20-17 in that play-off match played at Hillfoots’ ground.
“The win felt even better coming after a tight game,” captain Katie Booth-McKeand said.
“We were down the whole match before scoring the winning try in the final play through Rebecca Bestwick, it was very dramatic.
“It showed us what we can achieve when every single player gets their head down, works hard and plays their heart out for every minute they’re on the pitch. It’s so special to have that memory of celebrating together as a team.
“And while the timing couldn’t be better with the club’s centenary year, this win really feels like a culmination of years of hard work by coaches, players and supporters to instil in us a belief that we could win.
“While the personnel of the team may have changed over the years, there’s something special about the Broughton ethos which has remained consistent. From brand new players to veterans who’ve taken a step back from playing at a higher level, we support everyone who wants to play this wonderful sport.
“We always have each other’s back and we love going out on a Sunday and playing together. That’s the Broughton I want to be celebrated in our centenary year.
“I am just so, so proud of everyone and in constant awe of some of the incredible rugby I’ve witnessed these women play. Thank you to everyone for believing and working hard – I can’t wait to see what we achieve in the Shield run now.”
As Booth-McKeand mentioned, Broughton are now in the National Shield having taken that route for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign rather than playing in the Regional Play-Off Series.
So far in the Shield, they have had a walkover 28-0 win over Hillhead Jordanhill’s second XV and a 40-15 bonus point triumph at Kelso.
On February 23 they are on the road to Ayr and their aim is to make it out of Pool D and, eventually, progress to Silver Saturday on April 19.
Things are going well at Wardie then – what does Booth-McKeand think was key to the league win and is key to continued success for the Edinburgh outfit?
“After narrowly missing out on a league win and getting knocked out of the Shield in the semi-finals last season, the team were hungry for silverware this time round,” she explained.
“Back in the summer we sat down together and mapped out our goal to win the league and the shared values that would get us there. I think it’s testament to the hard work that the players put in at training and doing the job in front of them week-in, week-out.
“Of course we couldn’t have done it without our dedicated, knowledgeable coaches Libby McCue and Lorna Murdoch putting together a training plan and providing one-to-one support to help us achieve our goal.
We’ve also recruited well this season – kudos to our amazing social media lead Lucy Hanna – and this meant we had great depth in our playing squad. Finally, a team is always more than the players on the team sheet and I cannot thank our supporters enough!
“After losing to Dundee away, we knew we had to win at home to still have a chance of winning the league. I have no doubt that the huge support that turned out and the consistent roar on the sideline during that game certainly contributed to the win [32-21 with a bonus point in November].
““I cried so many happy tears after that game, it showed what we’d built and where we were going.”
- Of the 11 women’s senior leagues in Scotland currently, all of the champions have been confirmed in the shape of Corstorphine Cougars, Shetland, Biggar, Kelso, Bishopton, Lochaber, Marr, Dalkeith, Broughton, Caithness and Carrick.
Thanks to Mark Brown for the image of Broughton celebrating
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