Throwback Thursdays are a great way to revisit memorable moments in the club’s history, so join us on this weekly venture into the past …

Today’s Throwback Thursday is a little different and celebrates the creation of the Club’s first girls team – the Chinnor Chicks.

The year is 1995 and Club history is made when Chinnor entered a side in a RFUW Under 18 tournament at Cholsey.

An inexperienced team very nearly reached the final, following wins over Cholsey and Hitchin as well as a draw with Cheltenham, but missed out on points difference. Viki Hall was on fire that day, scoring five of our six tries, with Lucy Walters also crossing.

The birth of the side coincided with the sport becoming gender neutral at Lord Williams’s School, but the girls wanted to play more than just touch rugby.

An approach was made to Richard Hall, then chairman of the Club’s Junior Section about starting a girls team at Chinnor.

Approved at the next AGM, the Chinnor Chicks became a reality with Dai and Kim Hall – no relation to Richard – coaching and managing the side respectively.

They were to open up another chapter in the Club’s history when they beat Cholsey 40-5 in their inaugural home game in front of a big crowd at Kingsey Road in October 1995. Cathy Carr helped herself to a hat-trick of tries, with Catriona Cameron, Walters, Laura Hocking, Becka Woodward and Becky Maddocks also diving over.

They did not have to wait long for their first trophy as just over a week later Chinnor won the Cholsey Festival. Tries from Michelle Knapton and Carr helped earn a 12-5 victory over Chosley in the Young Ladies U18 Cup.

The following month they went on to beat Richmond 29-12 in a game divided into three 20 minute periods, Carr scoring all of our tries.

The good results continued as they went on to record their biggest win of the season with a 66-0 victory at Cholsey in March 1996. Maddocks played a starring role by scoring four tries, with Woodward (2), Hall (2), Hocking, Cameron and Zoe Hall also touching down.

There was to be an even bigger success when they beat opposition from all over the country to win the Polaroid Sunglasses National Women’s RFU youth tournament at Cholsey. Annabelle Hook’s try earned a 5-0 win after extra-time over St Brendan’s Sixth Form College from Bristol in the final. Chinnor had also beaten Novacestrians, Richmond, Braintree and Bournemouth at the tournament.

Unfortunately, the side slowly drifted away but it is great to see girls rugby back at Chinnor RFC Thame again in the form of our U12/13s.