News
MATCH FOCUS | Pre-Season begins for Blues Women
Bedford Blues Women will begin preparations for their 2022/23 NC2 Midlands (Central) Division campaign by making the short trip down the A6 to face Stockwood Park Huns in their first pre-season fixture on Sunday.
After finalist appearances at three recent 7s and touch tournaments, Sunday’s contest will be the first opportunity for the team to acclimatise back to the 15-a-side version of the game and get vital match minutes ahead of a testing league campaign.
Big Game Preview
This will be the first pre-season test for Bedford Blues Women who are busy preparing for an inaugural campaign in NC2 following promotion last season, winning the NC3 Midlands (Central) Division in the process.
Joint Head Coaches Darryl Veenendaal and Peter Frost have named four debutants within the 19-strong squad to travel to Stockwood; click here for the full team announcement.
Competitive action for Bedford Blues Women will actually begin in cup competition ahead of what is hoped to be another exciting league campaign in 2022/23. There’s just three weeks to go until Peterborough Ladies head to Bedford; click here for the full fixture list.
View from Both Camps
Speaking about the contest, Joint Blues Women Head Coach, Peter Frost said: “Firstly, I’d like to say thanks to our friends at Stockwood Park for hosting us. They are a good side and will provide us with a really stern test, which is perfect for pre-season.
“We’re really excited to get back to 15-a-side rugby, we’ve had a great pre-season, and this will be perfect in helping us to prepare for our first cup match in two weeks. Huge congratulations to the four players making their debut for the team. Hopefully we’ll see some of the #BluesFamily on the touchline too.”
Stockwood captain and current Blues Foundation Head of Outreach, Claire Hawes affirmed: “This is a really exciting opportunity for two teams in Bedfordshire to come up against one another.
“It’s an extra special game for me personally, with my first as captain of Stockwood Park and my ties to Bedford Blues. Both teams have been working super hard during pre-season, so it’ll be an exciting game and excellent opportunity for supporters to get down and support local women’s rugby.”
Opposition Analysis
Stockwood Park concluded their 2021/22 campaign in fifth position. Interestingly, they competed in the league which Bedford Blues Women will be in next season, however a Summer reshuffle of the structure at NC2 level has seen them shifted across to the South East (North) Division.
Follow the team to Stockwood Park
The match will take place at Stockwood Park RFC, postcode LU1 3RN with free entry for all spectators.
If you’re not heading across Bedfordshire on Sunday, we’ve got you covered! Continue to show your pride for the team by joining in the conversation on matchday using #BluesFamily to share your messages of support.
Head to all our social media channels for the matchday build-up, including post-match interviews and the Player of the Match presentation. Our live feed during the match will come exclusively on Twitter!
