Ladies' Season So Far: Captain's Thoughts for 2006

By JoEv
January 4 2006

As the Harlequin Ladies prepare for the second half of their season, 1st XV Captain, Jo Everett, reflects on the season so far and shares her hopes for the coming months.

"Summer 2005 was once again a time of change for the Harlequin Ladies. It was a busy time for recruitment, with many of our younger players heading off to university, and a time to get to know our new coach, Nick Hyde (NEC Harlequins Community Development Officer).

Through Nick's intensive summer training programme, we were certainly fit for September, however, with many new faces in our squad, it was going to take time to become a cohesive team.

It has certainly been a challenging start to the season and of the eight league fixtures played so far, we have secured only two wins. Our first, against Ipswich at the Twickenham Stoop and our second, a hard-fought fixture against Hove. Nevertheless, we have consistently shown ourselves to be a team that plays for the full eighty minutes, keeping our heads up, whatever the score line. We have also shown ourselves to be an improving side, not just in individual skills, but in whole-team communication and our confidence in each other.

It is undoubtedly going to be a hard task to turn this season around. A task made even harder by the prospect of several long distance journeys in the New Year (we travel to Ipswich tomorrow). So what will make a difference? Fundamentally, we need to start believing that we can win, and that we deserve to win. To borrow a phrase of a previous HLFC captain, we need to have more "mental toughness" .

My aims for the rest of the season would be to see us playing to our full potential, maximising our strengths, and showing a more ruthless attitude in our games. I want us to finish clear from relegation with a strong squad to carry through into next season. Perhaps most importantly, I want us to enjoy each game and leave the pitch feeling proud of the way we have played."

The Ladies first game of this year is on Sunday 8 January 2006 where they play Ipswich away.

For more information about the Harlequin Ladies contact us on quinsladies@hotmail.com or through our website www.harlequinladies.co.uk.