On Sunday 17 November Beckenham U18 Girls made the trip to Medway for their third league match of the season. With Medway boasting a strong squad and the Beckenham squad still growing, we knew this would be a tough challenge.

Play started amid a cloud of smoke from the neighbours' bonfire, obscuring the fullback, and with a chill in the air. Taking the kick off, and bolstered by a few loaned Medway players, Beckenham made a good start with a few good phases inside the Medway half. Our rucking let us down, and following a turnover Medway made the most of their possession, working the ball through the hands to score. That saw the floodgates open, with Medway carrying strongly with great support play, breaking through the Beckenham defensive line to run in several tries under the sticks. Beckenham kept their heads up and worked hard to improve their tackling, forcing Medway to work the ball wide, but by half time the score was 50-0 to Medway.

In accordance with the competition rules, we called the game at half time and agreed between the two sides to switch things up for the second half, swapping the backlines to form teams Bedway and Meckenham. From the off, you could see the Beckenham girls' confidence increase, showing some of the skills and creativity they can bring on the pitch. A much closer contest saw the final score as 17-12 to Meckenham, with all the girls having had a good run-out.

A tough day for the Beckenham girls, but every game this season is an opportunity to develop skills learned in training, and bond as a team during the tougher moments of the game. The girls' attitude is to be commended - a fact reiterated by the Medway coaches - and they have a strong team spirit. A final mention to the Medway girls who were loaned to Beckenham in the first half, who showed great sportsmanship by getting stuck in against their own teammates and playing well - great attitude!