Girls at Beckenham Rugby Club are celebrating after eight of them ach-ieved representative honours for Kent, writes Kevin Impey.

Amy Smith, Harriet Bold, Stephanie Mills and Lucy Claydon have all been selected for the under-16 squad, as have Amy Hooton, Angela Stark, Rebecca Baker and Shannon Fisher at under-18 level. Two of those, Amy and Harriet, have also been called-up for the South-East under-16s' regional squad.

It is just reward for a squad of players which continues to improve and a recent intake of new recruits, coupled with some former players rejoining, has given the club an even better platform to build for the future.

Towards the end of last year, Beckenham's girls took part in a 10-a-side festival which included strong teams from as far afield as Camberley, Thanet, East Grinstead and Guildford, and finished as highly creditable runners-up.

Other big wins against Dover and Thanet, scoring a combined 68 points without reply, have been slightly dampened by a spate of postponements due to unplayable pitches.

But enthusiasm at the club remains extremely high and an Easter tour to Brixham in Devon has been arranged when they will be sporting their new kit sponsored by Tudor Park Estate Agents in Beckenham.

However, the club is always looking for fresh talent and invites any girl aged 12-18 who is interested in joining to call Lorraine on 020 8658 2963 or Julia on 020 8650 0691.