Sevens STUTTER
The annual Stoneygate Sevens Tournament, was attended by a 10-strong squad from OUWRFC, with newly-appointed captain Zahler Bryan leading her team out for the first time. Already high hopes of progression were lifted with the news that both Saracens and Wasps had withdrawn from the competition, and the team sailed through the group stages. An impressive performance against Sheffield yielded six tries, including Bryan's first as captain, with conversions from Keshena Richardson and Rosie Collins.
Next came a well-fought match against the Stoneygate Over-30s. Beth Capper stunned the old girls immediately from kick-off, with a trade-mark storming run through the awe-struck opposition to place the ball squarely between the posts within the first 30 seconds. Great moves from out-going president Richardson, and typically dogged work from Bryan complimented the dominance Oxford exerted across the field. Oxford won their group and went through to the quarters.
After Capper had left the field through an unfortunate injury, her replacement Natalia Chan made an immediate impact. Nut marked her OUWRFC debut with a blinding run to touch down under the post and convert her own try, scoring Oxford's only points against Stonygate in the hardest fought game in the tournament. Despite a gritty performance, Oxford were unable to match the seventeen points scored by their rambunctious opponents and left proudly at the quarter-final stage.
22nd May 2003