In doing so, the Antlers Ladies are reaching a landmark that only a handful of other sides can lay claim to, as they join an elite group of teams who have reached the quarter-century mark in England. The Ladies team itself has 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?

Well 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 and when Russ Jones claimed that the ladies couldn’t tackle, he was very quickly and painfully proved wrong!

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 as a whole.

Helen Kirk was the first lady 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 lady 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 is a key figure at the Club to this day as the coach of the men’s 1st XV who recently completed two unblemished winning seasons by winning a total of 62 games on the trot.

Tragically, Uttley passed away in November 2009, but her legacy and impact on everyone at the Club will live on with the club organising a fantastic day of rugby in her honour last season between the current side and a team of legends.

After a period of rebuilding, the team came strong again and in the 2007/8 season, 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 the team have completed a highly competitive season finishing third in their league. Given the number of competitive women’s teams in the west London area at the moment, it is a mark of the strength of the ladies section at Teddington that the team continues to attract excellent numbers and support with over 40 players registered this season.