Geoff Bowman
Oakville Crusaders U16 girl's rugby team wins league championship. After a half an hour weather delay, the girls played a tough match against North Halton in the finals, coming out on top with a final score of 22-12.
The team made a comeback from last year when they lost in the finals of the playoffs to North Halton as well. As league champions, the team has qualified for the Ontario Junior Cup where the girls will play for a top position amongst all the teams in the province in Markham, Ontario.
This year the club had over 50 girls register to play, which is an increase from previous years where they would have roughly 30-35 girls register. Two teams were entered into the league, with one making it to the playoffs.
"It feels like we have been building this team for a number of years. Many of the current players started playing flag rugby with the Crusaders years ago and we had enough girls then to have an all-girls Under 12 team which brought out even more players. They have developed their skills and gelled as a team which has led to the success that others want to be a part of." commented Head Coach Angela Jackson.
"I go out to the high school rugby games to watch and see who is having fun, then I invite them out to play in the summer. The current players also tell their teammates about us and the team keeps growing."
"The girls have fun playing club rugby and they are also very competitive which shows in their play. We are looking forward to some challenging games at Ontario Junior Cup day."
Notably, the team has two players from Oakville who made the top 26 provincial team that just recently competed in the Western Canada Championships and won: Victoria Stuart and Tessa Jackson.
"I would also like to thank the efforts and dedication of the assistant coaches Erika Daniels and Jacky Elfiki."
