READING Abbey Ladies RFC underlined their supremacy as the best women’s rugby team in the county by securing the Berkshire Cup at the weekend, writes Fiona Tomas.

The Rose Hill club made history by submitting two teams at the pre-season competition, held at Newbury’s Monks Lane ground – a senior and a development outfit – clinching silverware.

The senior side cruised past Bracknell Ladies in their first pool game in a try-fest, crossing the whitewash 11 times with Hollie King, Joey Fowler, Gabriella Millard, Abi Wall and Pippa Robinson among the scorers.

A tie with long-time rivals Newbury Ladies followed and with old tensions rekindled, it was Abbey who showed enough tenacity and experience to defeat the hosts.

The Nuns earned a hard-fought victory with two unanswered converted tries in the second half through Jordanne Iona McGregor and Alice Denton, with Annette Tomas putting in a try-saving tackle as Newbury threatened before the break.

Abbey’s development team also showed early signs of improvement as they embark on their inaugural season as a RFU-accredited side as they came out on top against Crowthorne Ladies.

Jack Reynolds, the Abbey Ladies head coach, was pleased with his squad’s performances ahead of their new campaign.

He said: “I thought the competition was a great way to shake off the pre-season rust.

“It was obvious the girls hadn’t played in a while but by the end, we started to look like the side that finished last season.

“There are areas that need work and we’ll address those, but all in all I’m fairly happy with the start we’ve made."