Women’s rugby at Aberfeldy is growing all of the time and on Sunday the team will play their first ever competitive match on home turf having previously played a number away as well as a friendly on their own patch.
The women’s section of the club was started in 2020 and two of the original founding members, Eilidh Patterson and Lauren Webster, are still driving things forward.
In recent years the team has played in the Scottish Rugby Aspiring League for new and evolving women’s teams and that has been very helpful in terms of getting players used to playing matches.
Aspiring matches and other games played by the team were all on the road – including down in Gala, Berwick and against a number of teams in Edinburgh – until last weekend.
Last Sunday, Aberfeldy arranged a friendly match with Paisley and that gave the players the chance to play at home at Wade’s Park for the first time.
“Both teams were piped across Wade’s Bridge from the new clubhouse to the pitch,” Aberfeldy director of rugby and women’s coach Phil Morrice said.
“There was a real buzz around with over 100 people watching that game and, in the women’s section of late, numbers at training have been regularly about 16 or 17 with new players always welcome to come along and join in.”
For the Paisley match, Aberfeldy had help from some Lasswade and Strathendrick players and the hosts won a cracking contest 27-24 with Marion Geerdink, Hazel Hay, Emma Jacobs and skipper Eilidh Paterson (2) scoring tries and Rebecca MacGillivray converting one.
Forward of the match was Geerdink, back of the match was Hay and the opposition player of the match was Paterson.
That, as mentioned, was a home friendly and now the team are excited ahead of a home competitive match at Wade’s Park for the first ever time.
The match tomorrow will be against Falkirk in the National Bowl and Morrice added: “Everyone has been working hard to get to this moment and we are keen to test ourselves in this event.”
After this pool section clash, Aberfeldy will also face BanffBroch made up of players from Banff and Fraserburgh, Gala and Musselburgh.
Two teams from the five will progress to the final after the pool stage.
Aberfeldy are pictured – thanks to the club