Lisa Ritchie has two big matches coming up in the next few days for different teams and, all being well, she will be leading from the front in both of them.
On Saturday, captain Ritchie and her winless Stewartry side face a rearranged home Arnold Clark Women’s Premiership match with play-off final chasing Watsonians.
Then, next Wednesday, November 20, the former Scotland full cap is to skipper Scottish Police Women in their match against An Garda Síochána from Ireland at Stirling County’s Bridgehaugh ground.
Busy times them and, focusing on Stewartry first, with the regular league season edging towards a close on November 30, the Greenlaw outfit are seven points behind second bottom Cartha Queens Park and face a tough run in.
They have this weekend’s game against a side who beat them 73-5 in Edinburgh just a few days ago followed by hosting Cartha on November 23 and then travelling to play-off final hopefuls Stirling on November 29 live in front of the BBC ALBA cameras.
Given they have six points from 11 games so far, getting the seven points or more they need to avoid finishing bottom of the eight-team league looks unlikely, but they will keep battling and, if they end up being in the Regional Play-Off Series after Christmas like last year they will reset and aim to win that once more.
“It has been a tough season for Stewartry which we knew it would be,” 36-year-old stand-off Ritchie said.
“We are a small club in a rural part of Scotland and although we have not had a win yet, we are improving week in and week out and have gained confidence from our narrow losses to the bottom half of the table sides in games which could have gone either way. We are a tough bunch of women and no matter who we play we will always give it everything we have.
“The spirits remain high within the team going into the last three games of the league season and playing our final match versus Stirling live on TV will be a brilliant opportunity for the girls which we are looking forward to and certainly will not shy away from.
“With three games to go the reality is we will be most likely be in the Regional play-off series again and I am confident in the team that we will take everything we have learnt this season into those play-off games and use that to our advantage.
“We will do everything in our power to hold onto our position in the Premiership.
“We have a lot of experience in our squad and a high proportion of the team, including myself, will be coming to the end of our playing careers in the next few years.
“With that in mind we are doing everything we can to build a thriving youth section for girls at Stewartry with our newly appointed women’s and girls’ director of rugby Lauren Nicholson to lead the way along with a number of the other players who are taking up coaching roles and passing on their experience to the younger generation.
“It is in our interest to remain within the Premiership to give the girls coming through a brilliant opportunity to play – and be seen – at this level with their local club and hopefully one day go onto international caps.”
In 2023-24 in the Regional play-off series, which pits the bottom Premiership side against the Caledonia Midlands East One, Caledonia North One and West One winners, Stewartry won five out of six to top the group and stay up.
Looking ahead a few days to the Scottish Police Women’s game Ritchie, who has been a police constable for 12 years of which eight have seen her in the Roads Policing Division, added: “I am very excited to be a part of this fixture, I have never played Garda and this will and exciting opportunity for both teams.
“It’s very much the unknown, as even playing with the British Police for 12 years, we have never managed to secure this fixture.
“This will be our fourth fixture as Police Scotland Women since this time last year and the team is coming together nicely.
“It is a highly anticipated game and it’ll be a very physical and close match between the sides I imagine.”
Ritchie is currently based within V division (Dumfries and Galloway) and the Scottish Police Women is part of a double header next week with Scottish Police Men taking on Wales Police later the same day in their own Four Nations competition at the same Bridgehaugh venue.
And as Stewartry try to stay in the top flight once more and the profile of Scottish Police Women gets bigger, they are lucky to have Ritchie leading them as she is an experienced campaigner.
She began playing rugby as a 15-year-old at Annan Academy and has since played for Annan, Carlisle Cougars, the teams mentioned and earned Scotland caps at XVs and sevens level.
“I used to play football and hockey growing up, but as soon as I started playing rugby I knew it was the sport for me,” Ritchie, who is Scotland cap number 152 and won her first of nine XVs caps versus Spain in 2011, stated.
“The team environment of rugby is like no other, players from 1-15 on the pitch plus subs are prepared to put their bodies on the line for each other and come together, win or lose, to part of a rugby ‘family’.
“That is a special thing and has kept me in this sport for over 20 years.”
As well as Stewartry versus Watsonians on Saturday, Cartha, in seventh, were due to take on Stirling County, but the former have forfeited the game citing a lack of available front-rowers.
As a result, County take a 28-0 win and five points and now sit second, one point ahead of Watsonians having played a game more.
The battle for the second play-off final spot to take on leaders Corstorphine Cougars on December14 is set to go all the way until November 30.
Saturday squads…
Stewartry: Donna Burns; Emma Broad, Louise Hill, Chloe Johnstone, Niamh Wilson; Lisa Ritchie (C), Betti Ginnelly; Kacee Knox, Neve Finlay, Lauren Nicholson, Clare Dooley, Sammy Durnan, Hannah Sainsbury, Jade Stewart, Ali Henderson. Subs: Caitlin Craik, Sophie Hayes.
Watsonians: Julie Lyons; Phaedra Snailham, Amy Watkins, Briar McNamara, Katie Taylor; April McKenzie, Shannon Macey; Sarah Donnelly, Leigh-Ann Lawrie, Talei Tawake, Kaeli King, Teagan Myerscough, Ellie Moffat, Laura Buckingham, Freya Walker (C-C). Subs: Karis Craig, Ailie Tucker (C-C), Cait Abernethy, Emma Megahey, Georgia Young, Kloee Alcorn.
Scottish Police squad…
Thanks to Lisa Ritchie for the image
GH Media is always keen to cover club and grassroots women’s rugby stories in Scotland – thanks to those already supporting the content, if you or your company would like to get involved please email gary@gh-media.co.uk