Hornets Ladies and Whitworth Warriors reach Challenge Cup Final

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Rochdale Hornets Ladies

Two local teams have made history by making it to the WARLA Women’s Rugby League Challenge Cup Final.

Ladies Hornets and Whitworth Warriors will go head-to-head in the final on Easter Sunday (20 April).

Terri Davey, Coach of Hornets Ladies, said: “It is brilliant to reach the final. It has gone beyond our expectations to make the final and as a new team it is something we didn’t really anticipate doing.”

Hornets Ladies reformed in summer 2013 and have had a mixed season. They lost their first game to Batley Bullets in November 2013 but after getting back into training after Christmas, the team reached the semi finals of the Challenge Cup by beating York 20-14.

The team then secured their place in the final by beating Castleford Panthers in February.

“We have had a mixed season so to actually make the final is something we are all extremely proud off,” added Terri.

Now, preparations are underway for the final. Training has been doubled with extra training measure in place. “We have upped everything that we are doing to prepare but we are also doing things like a shirt presentation to make it special for the girls,” said Terri.

Hornets Ladies have gone up against Whitworth Warriors before but were defeated on both encounters. Terri added: “They are a great team to be going up against. They are a strong team with a lot of experience. We have youth on our side so it is about going in there and breaking their strength.”

Whitworth Warriors is also a new team to the league this year. Becky Leyland from the club said: “We never expected to reach the final. As a new club we knew it would be difficult but we managed it.”

Whitworth has defeated Rochdale previously but will not be taking anything for granted on Sunday. “We have come away from Rochdale with a victory before but they are a good team with a lot behind them. With it being a final you never know what to expect really,” said Becky.

Whitworth secured their place in the challenge cup final by defeating Batley Bullets 38-2 and are now hoping to walk away with a victory on Sunday. Becky added: “The team are really excited to have reached the final and we are definitely hoping for a win.”