West Craven Warriors Rugby League Club celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reunion but the weekend ended in defeat as the club’s ladies’ team were soundly beaten the following day.
The Warriors held a reunion event on Saturday, May 10th for all players who have pulled on the jersey since the club’s founding in January 1994, and the celebration of two decades was held at Rolls-Royce Leisure Centre in Barnoldswick to coincide with the annual presentation night.
With some nursing sore heads on the Sunday, the ladies team were thrashed by a highly-professional British Army ladies rugby league team 74-4 at Barnoldswick’s Victory Park in the Challenge Cup.
Coincidentally, the British Army rugby league wing marked its 20-year anniversary on the same weekend.
Coach and Club Chairman Richard Milner said the event was a great experience for the Warriors women who have only been together for three years.
He said: “It was a good game. In truth we got a bit of a hiding really but it was played in the right spirt. It was fitness levels which told in the end.
“We will only get better by playing better teams. It was the first time the army have entered the competition and they were using it as preparation for the inter-services tournament towards the end of the season.
“It was a bit of an eye-opener to be honest. They arrived at 11-30am for a 2pm kick off and laid out a table full of energy bars and isotonic drinks.
“Two women on the army team had flown in from Germany just for the game and a lot had travelled up from the south. They had all been in a three-day training camp at York in the week leading up to the game.”
Next up for the Warriors is Wigan St Patrick’s on Sunday, May 25th, at 2pm at Victory Park, Barnoldswick.