Tournament Summary
The Valkyries finished third in the Shield at the 10-a-side Saracens Sonics Charity Shield, with three wins from five games and a performance against the eventual champions that stood out all day.

The day began with a 32-0 win over Old Grammarians, with tries from Clara (2), Ellie, Grace, Blaisline and Salome.

Woodford were next, and it was a match of two halves. The Valkyries lent Woodford three players from the start to help them make up a squad, and a fourth in the second half. The girls were well ahead, but the game tightened after the break and finished 24-20, with Grace scoring a hat-trick and Clara adding the fourth try.

The toughest test came against Cardiff Quinns, who went on to win the Shield. The Valkyries lost 7-10, with Clara scoring and converting her own try, but they were the only side to score against Cardiff and to hold them below 27 points, a real achievement by the girls.

In the Shield semi-final, the girls played a strong game against Medway RFC but were drawn into the opposition's style of play, and went down 10-15 with tries from Clara and Marina.

The team bounced back in the third v fourth play-off, beating Hertford RFC 19-5 with two tries from Grace and one from Blaisline, plus two conversions from Sophie, to finish third.

Results
Old Grammarians — won 32-0
Woodford — won 24-20
Cardiff Quinns — lost 7-10
Shield semi-final v Medway RFC — lost 10-15
Third v fourth play-off v Hertford RFC — won 19-5

Try Scorers
Grace — 6 (1 v Old Grammarians, 3 v Woodford, 2 v Hertford)
Clara — 5 (2 v Old Grammarians, 1 v Woodford, 1 v Cardiff Quinns, 1 v Medway)
Blaisline — 2 (v Old Grammarians, v Hertford)
Ellie — 1 (v Old Grammarians)
Salome — 1 (v Old Grammarians)
Marina — 1 (v Medway)

Conversions
Clara — 2 (v Woodford, v Cardiff Quinns)
Ellie — 2 (v Old Grammarians, v Woodford)
Sophie — 2 (v Hertford)

Values Champion
Blaisline, chosen by the coaches for living our TREDS values: Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship.

Players of the Tournament
Forwards — Blaisline, for bruising tackles and two powerfully run tries
Backs — Grace, with six tries across the day

Thank You
A big thank you to Saracens Sonics for hosting the Charity Shield, once again in aid of Wooden Spoon, and to all of our parents for giving up a full day of rugby and supporting the girls from start to finish.