Hornets ladies take on table toppers in season opener

Rochdale Hornets Ladies

Rochdale Hornets Ladies will finally open their Women's Rugby League Association (WRLA) season on Sunday when they take on Batley Bullets at Firgrove.

With Castleford unable to raise a team for the season opener and Bradford opting for a ‘free week’ a week later, Hornets Community Manager Terri Davey has had a frustrating start.

"We have worked hard in pre-season and the ladies are raring to go. They are all training to play, and when you lose the opportunity for a game it is really disappointing. The ladies have managed to stay focused, and I'm certain the 17 girls selected on Sunday will relish the chance to finally get on the field."

The ladies team at Hornets has developed from a ten week Sportivate programme, funded by Link4Life, which aimed to target those who were drifting away from sport and keep them involved.

On the funding, Hornets Chief Executive Ryan Bradley commented: "Sean Brown had done an awful lot of work with girl’s teams at Hollingworth High School and we didn’t want to see that work go to waste.

"Hillside Hawks folded a couple of years ago so there was nowhere in the Rochdale Borough for ladies to play - many of them either chose not to play or had to travel to Leigh, the next nearest team.

The Sportivate funding from Link4Life allowed staff time, facility hire and equipment to pull the girls together, and they responded with up to 30 ladies turning out to give it a go.

When the funding finished, the ladies wanted to form a team and represent Rochdale, and so the Rochdale Hornets Ladies were formed.

Looking ahead to their first fixture, Hornets will be without prop forward Becki Etchells, who has dislocated her knee recently - an injury that was likely caused by ligament damage sustained when former strong women competitor Etchells made her rugby league debut on loan at Leigh two months ago.

Keeley Ramsbottom, daughter of Hornets' first team assistant coach Dave, will also be missing but the Hornets will be 17 strong, with coach and ex England and Lancashire representative Terri Davey playing at loose forward, with national schools champion Sophie Holden likely to start at stand-off.

Former Lance Todd trophy winner, Mick Burke, has been helping the ladies prepare over the last three weeks as assistant coach.