THERE are few teams from Barnsley who compete in the second tier of their sport nationally but the women’s rugby union side at Shaw Lane continue to hold their own at that level.
Barnsley RUFC Ladies completed their season this week with a 50-20 home win over Sale.
That left them sixth in Championship One North which is the second tier in English women’s rugby.
Other teams still have a game to play so Barnsley could finish seventh.
The Shaw Lane women have been at that level since 2018.
Coach Sarah Palmer said: “We’re proud to have held our own in the Championship for a lot of years.
“A lot of the clubs we play against have men’s teams in the Premiership and have a lot more funding.
“We don’t have that but we’re still managing to compete every year.
“About 80 per cent of the players are from Barnsley and have been with us a lot of years. I would say we’re the best in Yorkshire and we’re hoping to have a big representation in the county team this summer.
“We’re pleased with this season.
“We have worked really hard on recruitment. We have a good link-up with the University of Sheffield.
“Last year we were struggling to get more than 17 or 18 players for games but this year we’ve done a lot better.
“It’s really great to finish comfortably and not be worried about relegation.”
Barnsley will be looking for an even higher finish next season. Palmer said: “We’re always looking to finish comfortably in mid-table but, next year, if we keep getting it right with recruitment, we want to be a lot higher and be a really good name in the league. Teams won’t think they are going to beat us.
“It would be really tricky to get promoted into the Premiership. We’re self-funded and the RFU expect a certain amount of funding. The goal would be finishing high up in the Championship.
“I think finishing consistently in the top three is a good goal for us.
“We’ve not got a girls section.
“We would love to explore that in the future with the club.”
Against Sale, Jaz Brankin scored a hat-trick with Beth Arnold, Hailey Swann, Tori Thomas, Alix Taylor-Roberts and Jess Taylor-Roberts also touching now.
Alix Taylor-Roberts converted five.
Palmer said: “It was a really good result, considering we lost at their place. This is a side who have a Premiership link-up and are higher than us in the table. It was a good achievement and a good way to finish the season.”
Meanwhile, Barnsley RUFC men are due to complete their season at Wheatley Hills on Saturday.
The Shaw Laners are third-bottom of Yorkshire Division Three but cannot finish in the relegation zone as they are six points clear of the bottom two.
Wath complete their Yorkshire Division One season at home to Old Rishworthian on Saturday.
Wath, who were promoted last year, are sixth but could slip down to seventh or eighth depending on other results.
Yorkshire Division Four champions Dearne Valley are due to finish their campaign at Maltby. They are currently 23 points clear in first place having won 16 and lost one of 17 games.
