Mirfield ARLFC’s junior section had a weekend to remember at the annual Rhinos Challenge at Butlins, with the Under-14 girls returning home with the Fair Play Award.
The club took 29 children to the tournament across two age groups, with the U14 girls and the U11 boys both representing Mirfield over the weekend.
The Fair Play Award is handed to just one team in each age group across the whole event, recognising respect towards match officials and other teams, encouragement of opponents and outstanding sportsmanship.
Only eight were given out across all age groups, and the Mirfield U14 girls were among them.
In a lovely touch that summed up the spirit of the weekend, with coaches Amy Ratcliffe and Kelsie Ratcliffe also impressed with their rugby and hard work..
Amy said: “It was an incredible weekend for the girls. They played some brilliant rugby and showed amazing teamwork, and to come away with the Fair Play Award on top of that made it really special.
“As a coach I honestly couldn’t be prouder. The respect and sportsmanship they showed all weekend, on and off the pitch, was wonderful to see, and the cheers and encouragement they got from all the other teams meant so much.
“These girls should be really proud of themselves – the future is very bright for this team.”
The U11 boys also acquitted themselves superbly over the course of the weekend, playing six games in what is a non-competitive age group.
Coached by Shaun Lunt, Spencer Peel and Matt Curley, the youngsters threw themselves into every game and loved every minute of their trip.
The club was also keen to highlight the brilliant encouragement from the travelling parents, which was very well received by the 29 children taking part throughout the weekend.
