Virginia RFC on the double

In a unique coincidence, both the Senior women and U18 girls teams found themselves competing for League and Cup honours almost simultaneously at different venues.

The Senior Women finished Championship A - Phase 2 with a clean sheet, beating Randalstown in the final match of the season 29 - 14.

Coming into the game, Virginia had a 100% record in phase 2 of the league and a bonus point to win here. With all to play for the first half of the game was a nervy affair with teams trading scores and a half time score of 17 - 14 favoured Virginia.

The half time pep talk from Dessie Higgins (former president and coach) brought the game to life and six minutes into the second half Virginia boosted the energy levels and the effort paid off with a converted try 24 - 14. The next 35 minutes was a battle yielding just one try for Virginia. The final score was 29 - 14. "This is an amazing achievement for a team who had a shaky start to the season, having to concede their first game resulting in a setback of five points," said a spokesperson of the club who also wished Co-Captain Lisa Smith all the best for her retirement, having lead the by example, committing herself to excellence at training and in every game.Meanwhile, down the road in Affidea stadium, Belfast, the under 18 girls kicked off against old foes Enniskillen. Virginia struggled to get going, but managed to play the game in the right areas of the pitch, making it really hard for Enniskillen to string any phases together. Eventually, with five minutes to go in the first half, the girls spread the ball wide and Dearbhla got over for the first try of the game. Fainche converted.

Virginia started the 2nd half well and kept Enniskillen under the pump. After a blistering break from Elinor with some great support play by Aoibhín and Dee, Virginia were awarded a penalty on the 5m line. Alanna tapped and crashed over. 12-0 with 30 minutes to go. Enniskillen started to string some phases together and suddenly Virginia was under pressure. Enniskillen kept Virginia pinned in their own 22, relentlessly attacking in waves. The pressure on the Virginia line was immense, but the Virginia girls kept fighting, coming up with huge plays to stop Enniskillen from scoring. The final score was 12-0 to Virginia and they were crowned U18 Cup Champions.

"This is not an overnight success, and not a flash in the pan, but rather the result of many years of consistent effort by players and coaches alike," said the club's spokesperson.