It was one of those games you'll talk about for a while as a player - a rite of passage to becoming a proper rugby player. The conditions were atrociously wet and miserable but you turned up and gave it everything you had because you didn't want to let your teammates down... and also because the coach said that you had to.

Every spectator was looking on with admiration for those taking part, whilst secretly hating them a little bit for making them stand in the torrential rain. Belsize Park are a good bunch. A stronger and more experienced side than Datchworth, but great opposition for us to learn from in our first few games. It was no surprise that the final score was a 49-0 win to the visitors but the game was more balanced than that suggests. Belsize were happy to acknowledge that each score had to be earned. Some fantastic tackles were going in from both teams with notable defensive displays from Shannon Rapacchi, chasing down a few breakaway runners. Also, Kate Iles in her best performance this season racking up an impressive tackle count and creating turnover ball in a couple of rucks. The scrums were well contested and held up surprisingly well given the soft ground, with Datchworth having the edge in that part of the game.

Milly Saunders was impressive in her first game as flanker, throwing herself into the path of unsuspecting ball carriers with little regard for personal safety. She put in a couple of hits that would have made Marlie Packer proud. Milly's game was unfortunately cut short by a pulled muscle towards the end of the first half. It was also an early shower for Shannon and Beth with borderline hyperthermia after the conditions started to take their toll. A sensible decision was made by both coaches and captains to end the second half early, rather than continue the torture. It is, after all, supposed to be fun!

The work-ons for the Datch players will be around the breakdown area (we didn't hit as many rucks as we should have), support play for our ball carriers and strengthening our defensive line by making two-player tackles.

Thank you to all the supporters who braved the elements, to Matthew Lewis for the match photos and to Lynne Solomon for feeding the masses with her homemade chilli.