08/03/2026
🏆🏆 U16 County Bowl winners 🏆 🏆
Huge congratulations to our fabulous U16 girls who won the Leicestershire Rugby Union U16 Girls Bowl at the County finals 37-34 versus a strong Market Bosworth team!
In a nail-biting final which, quite frankly, could have gone either way, our girls dug in, did their jobs and gave everything they've got to bring home the win much to the delight of their crowd of supporters 🤩🤩🤩
Big thanks as always to our Melbourne & Coalville All MACs teammates, to our friends at Market Bosworth for being a great opposition, to Market Harborough for hosting a fantastic finals night and to LRU for organising this great event showcasing the best of girls rugby across the county and also bringing the Women's World Cup for us all the enjoy and have photos with 📸📸📸
Red the full match report, thanks to Dan B, below......
So as the league season finale comes to a close, we found ourselves in the bowl match which proved to be an absolute humdinger and a nail baiter!
We started out the block sharp and looked like we had a point to prove, forward punching holes through the middle of the park which ended up Harriet going over the line. All MACs 5-0 Bos
We then looked shaky and nervous leading to us forcing passes and leading to knock ons which the led to Bosworth scoring and converting
All MACs 5-7 Bos
This was the bad period for us, 3/4 penalties conceded, defence was putting in some massive tackles from Ellie, Lou Lou, Castles, Eve and Evie P but with confidence running through Bosworth they burst through our defence a couple of more times
All MACs 5-17 Bosworth
Behind the posts the girls spoke honestly, resulting in them pulling their sleeves up. From the restart Olive N carried hard with support from Lucy, but the ball was turned over, but our defensive pressure created the error with Lucy pouncing on the loose ball to score.
All MACs 10-17 Bos
Restart falls straight to Evie P who tucks it under her shirt and runs straight at them drawing defenders in with support play from Kyla and the forwards, Olive L looks to go one way then goes the other seeing the overlap Olive N and Lucy making big leading to the off load to our slightly mad winger, Cherry, who discovered a turn of pace we didn’t think she had to go in and score.
All MACs 15-17 Bos
Just before half time Bosworth played some lovely rugby to go and score.
Half time All MACs 15-22 Bos
Restart
Fell straight into our hands with various players making ground eventually making its way to Olive N who bundles her way over the line GAME ON!!!
All MACs 20-22 Bos
On the restart fell straight to the forwards finding gaps and making some themselves. But Bosworth jackaling well throughout stealing it back. Our defence was holding stronger with a lovely pick pocket from Lou Lou setting us back on the attack, we played Bosworth at there own game sending them right then left with big carries from Lucy, Olive N and Cherry, then we switched it to the mid field where Livi, embracing the badge on her chest, receiving the ball countless times and just got her head down and charged at them creating space. Our prop, Ellie, saw herself in space on the far side and then decided she was a winger making a long busting run to go under the posts, which was converted by Evie P which then saw us in front for the 1st time in the game since the 3rd minute
All MACs 27-22 Bos
From the restart we then conceded a couple more penalties which again lead to nice long passes from Bos to go in and score, with a lovely conversion to match.
All MACs 27-29 Bos
We then found an extra 10% with carries from Kyla, Olive N, Ellie, Lou Lou and backed up with some great ground work from Eve, Livi and Castles to secure possession, Eve then did a lovely pick from the bottom of the ruck making metres and taking players with her, off load to Harriet 10 metres out decided to get her dancing shoes out 2 stepping her way over the try line and diving under the tackle coming in!
All MACs 32-29 Bos
10mins of really hard rugby happened going backwards and forwards for both sides, including Cherry making a crucial try-saving tackle to huge applause from the supporters.
We then created the turnover chance with Eve always being a pest at the breakdown, then within 3 passes Lucy has the ball in hand, 1 player to beat, and then sticks the after burners on to go in and score
All MACs 37-29 Bos
Then the unthinkable happened, the tanks on empty, tackles flying in left, right and centre, fighting for everything, the pressure comes from Bosworth, them doing to us what we have been doing to them smashing through the middle of the park to go through and score 37-34 conversion was missed! But, unbeknown to the coaches and crowd, the kissed conversion was the last action of the game, both teams congratulating each other on a great game and shaking hands with each other, the girls walked over to myself and the other coaches Ian and Andy not knowing the score until I told them we won! Enter the cheers and screaming and tears of joy with the loudest Tiki Tiki Tonga ever!!
OLAY OLAY OLAY ALL MACS!!!!!
Congratulations Girls!!!!
