Throughout the season, there will a number of activities and events planned to mark the achievement and this will start with a lunch before a ladies home game at Bushy Park on Saturday September 17th.

We want as many past players to attend as possible and with a special guest speaker and a two-course meal before going out to watch the ladies play against London Welsh, this is an event not to be missed!

Tickets will be around £25 and names must be reserved in advance. To secure your place go to: https://goo.gl/forms/0BhiEVEwiUJ1WFlO2 or call Zoe Feenan on 0782 5828 256

Antlers Ladies history

The Antlers Ladies have delivered some notable achievements down through the years, league titles, international players and not to mention some memorable social occasions, but where did it all begin?

Back in 1987, as the season for the Teddington men’s side came to an end; the girlfriends of some of the players attended the last game against Old Roma. Having watched a ladies sevens tournament in the weeks before they were convinced that they could turn their hand to the sport.

The original name proposed for the Ladies squad at the Club was mooted as “The Old Deers” but this was turned down at the Club AGM as it was felt that the name was a bit of a joke and that the ladies would not be treated as they should.

And thus Antlers Ladies began.

The first ever game for the ladies was against neighbours Richmond – where the girls impressed despite a 20-0 loss.

As the team progressed, it grew in stature and with the excellent support of the Club, the Antlers Ladies became a key part of the development and progress of rugby in Teddington.

Helen Kirk was the first woman to be elected onto the Club’s main committee as Honorary Treasurer in 1988/89 and all Captains at that time were on the club committee. Karen Kirk then became the first woman to be awarded the honorary role of Vice President and the emergence of some top class talent at Teddington soon alerted a variety of international coaches.

The squad had a sustained period of success throughout the 1990’s where they played league rugby in the RFUW National Division 3, making them one of the top 24 teams in the country.

In 1997 they reached the last 16 of the National Cup and in that season Antlers had three International players pulling on an Antlers shirt every week; Elaine Cross (nee Black) for Scotland, Giselle Mather (nee Pragnell) for England and Susan Johnston (nee Gibbard Jones) for Wales. It was an era of increasing competition in the local area with the formation of a number of other sides and Teddington’s stars were quickly snapped up by some Premiership sides, for whom players needed to line out for if they were to progress internationally.

At the 1994 Women’s World Cup, there were three Antlers playing, with Black, Mather and Charlie Bronks all in action – a significant achievement for our Club.

Many of these players, including Linda Uttley, Mather and Sarah Escott all returned to the Club to play their final seasons before retirement. A special word of mention should go to Mather, who has been a key figure at the Club to this day as the former coach of the men’s 1st XV who completed two unblemished winning seasons by winning a total of 62 games on the trot and achieved much more.

Tragically, Uttley passed away in November 2009, but her legacy and impact on everyone at the Club will live on with the club

After a period of rebuilding, the team came strong again and in the 2007/8season, many years of hard work were rewarded when the ladies, captained by Cheryl Coulby, defeated Hammersmith & Fulham on the final day of the season to top their league and earn promotion

In recent seasons the Ladies have been boosted by partnership work with St Mary’s University and the Met Police women’s side and reached the Junior Cup Final and Semi Final in successive years before being promoted to National Championship 2 last year.

This year the team will make history by having two teams competing in league competitions with a second team entered in the RFU’s Merit League.

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Do you want to join Teddington? We have two senior ladies teams and cater for all abilities from brand newcomers to more experienced players. Contact: sarah.edwards@makeitclear.co.uk or call her on 07747612023