One one of the most common complaints from the growing band of junior girl rugby players is that they don’t get enough games. But on Sunday one girl demonstrated that things donot have to be that way when she lead her team onto the field for the fiftieth – and last – time, and a match total notched up in only two seasons.

Nikki Alcock, scum-half and captain of Letchworth’s U14s, only started playing the game in September 2004 but since then has only missed only match weekend (owing to illness, and even then she still turned up to watch).

In fact it was only when she missed her first game that everyone realised how “ever present” Nikki had been – because no-one else in the team had ever played at scrum-half before and crash course was therefore required for one of the other players!

In just under two years Nikki has appeared in at least six festivals, and has also turned out for North Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, and the East Region.

Sunday was her final game for the U14s – and it was quite a send off, with Letchworth hosting the Hertfordshire Sevens tournament. And the U14s finished with a win and overall runners-up spot in the bowl competition.

Next year presents a whole new challenge for Nikki as she moves up to the U17 team, but there she will be competing for the scum-half’s number 9 jersey against a familiar face – her sister Katie!