Clogher Valley Women secure Ulster Championship League B

Clogher Valley Women have been crowned Ulster Championship League B Champions after picking up 13 wins and one draw from their campaign finishing four points ahead of rivals Virginia.

Clogher finished 23 points above third-placed Ballymena to this year’s title with a gulf in class apparent from the top two in contrast to the rest of the division.

Coach Richard Haire was thrilled to see his side storm to silverware: “In their first real competitive season, the Valley have dominated matches winning by large margins.

"The team have been strengthened this year with the arrival of players from other sports and from those who have played at a higher level. This has improved everyone, and they are now playing great rugby.”

The team missed out on the chance to add the Suzanne Fleming Cup to their cabinet earlier this month after a defeat to Banbridge at Kingspan even beating teams above them which will stand them in good stead for next season.

“It has been a great season,” said team Captain Sarah Hopper on her teammate’s success.

“The players have really worked hard on the training pitch and gelled together as a team. Many of the players had not played rugby before, but with the good coaching from Richard Haire, David Black and Gareth Smyton, we have improved and hopefully will continue to get better.”

Clogher will test themselves against tougher opposition next season as they move up to the A Championship, with coach Haire looking forward to the challenge: “The team move to Championship A, where they will come up against team like Banbridge on a weekly basis.

"This will improve the team's understanding of the game and bring them to a higher level. Losing out in the final was disappointing, but to reach the final was beyond what we had expected, and it showed how much the team has progressed this season.”

Coach Gareth Smyton added: “The Women’s team has brought a real buzz to the club, with several hundred supporters out watching some of their games. We hope this season’s accomplishments will attract even more players to join the Club and their success will continue.”