THE Malvern Angels 1st XV showed the hard work and dedication that they have put in to training this year by defeating Hucclecote WRFC 54-5 on Sunday.

Malvern played quite hard to begin with, getting down the first few tries, then seemed to settle back into an easy rhythm, which nearly upset them a couple of times when Hucclecote nearly broke through.

However, it wasn't until the second half that Hucclecote scored a well-earned try, keeping Malvern defending on their try line before claiming their five points.

The practice on set play showed really well in the first half; the Malvern pack was smaller than Hucclecote, but their domination enabled them to make every scrum work for them. Malvern completely dominated the lineouts, even with a jumper who had never played in the forwards before.

A lot of the team took inspiration for success from watching England's win in the Rugby World cup. Watching the nation's idol, Jonny Wilkinson, particularly motivated Debbie Danby, captain and fly half for the Angels.

She said: "Watching Jonny work, especially under that amount of pressure has shown me how we can dominate the game to play at Malvern's pace, my next aim is to get some way towards his standard of kicking but a bit more practice is in order I think."

The Angels coach, Barry Kirby, was also pleased with the result.

Kirby said: "It's a great way to end 2003. It wasn't the best rugby we have played but it did provide a good opportunity for us to try some tactical ideas that we may not have risked against a stronger team. The team coped well with losing two players to injury and the motivation was fantastic.

"It is certainly something to build on, and there is nothing like the taste of success to keep you hungering for more."

It seams to be falling right for the Angels this year as the success of the youth team within the West Midlands Tag League has provided a bit of extra motivation and playing more home games has brought the Angels to the attention of more local women.

The Angels are always looking to bring new women into the game, their coaching and play is especially focused around new players, but also giving the opportunity for experienced players to develop.

Training starts again in the new year on Monday, January 5, so if you are interested, give Amanda a call on 01905 339137, or just turn up for 7pm on training night.