We knew this season would be very tough in a new league but we've learned something in every game and we haven't been too far away against some very experienced sides. We can be confident going into the second half of the season that we can meet the goals

- Ali Donnelly

The first team were promoted last season to Championship South West 2 and were handed a gruelling opening round of games with early long trips to play promotion favourites Trojans; last year’s runners up Bath and experienced south west powerhouses Plymouth as well as a home game against another experienced side in this league London Welsh, with whom Teddington share close ties with a raft of players appearing for Welsh last year under dual status regulations.

Trojans proved a step too far on the opening day with the side who have won all of their games so far at this stage, running in ten tries to inflict Antlers biggest defeat in many years. But with plenty of lessons learned, Antlers turned it around in their second game and after a tough week’s training, they defeated London Welsh in round two at home to really get their season up and running with a 26-7 win.

Round three saw the trip to Bath and despite going 17-0 down early in the game; Antlers fought back to make it a three point game in the second half with Izzy Jorris, Laura Mackay and Jane Wescott linking up brilliantly out wide and with the Antlers pack growing into the game with fine displays from Laura Templeman, Becky Piddlestone and Emma Kite to name just a few. However Bath steadied the ship with a breakaway try and though Antlers pushed extremely hard to get back into the game; a try in the last play of the match meant Bath took it out 29-13 leaving Antlers to consider what might have been if they had gotten off to a better start. Once again though, it was a confident showing in many respects and Teddington knew that as a first hit out on the road against a strong side, there were plenty of positives to take.

Round four was postponed when Rosslyn Park failed to field a team but Antlers will take on their local rivals in December instead. Plymouth away was always going to be a massive ask with the long journey plus the absence of numerous players including the injured captain Heather Smith; meaning this was always going to be a big challenge. The bus journey seemed to sap Antlers of any energy early in the game and Plymouth took full advantage on the wide pitch, scoring three tries in the opening 20 minutes for a 19-0 lead. Finally Teddington woke up and excellent work up front from Emma Davis, Kite and Katie Brown saw Brown crash over for a converted try by Laura Parry. Antlers tore into the second half and a brilliant piece of handling from Charley Hall saw Izzy Jorris use her pace to score and suddenly it was 14-19 and game on. The final 20 minutes were hugely frustrating as Antlers were held up twice over the line and two almost dead cert tries were denied by last minute fumbles. However a losing bonus point on the road and another strong second half display leaves the side positive about how they are progressing in this much tougher league.

Next up Antlers are at home to Wimbledon and then away to Supermarines – two more tough games to come.

The Antlers Development team is now in its second season and the team, managed by Becky Piddlestone, has had a solid start to the season with a win over Kings College and a very narrow loss to Kingston. The team has been instrumental in bringing through new faces to the team and the likes of Sarah Burns, Chloe Halladey and Mia Suter are just a few who look like very promising future first team players. The next game for the development team is against Newbury.

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