Nottingham Outlaws entertained Leamington Royals in a Midlands Women’s Friendly fixture  on Saturday and despite incessant rain, both sides put on an excellent show before Outlaws pushed out to a convincing  30-16 victory.

Leamington battled hard but the Outlaws superior scoring ability always kept them one step ahead on the scoresheet. 

Try scorers were Robyn Gulley (3) Shannon Jordan (2) and Leah Martin (1) with Robyn adding three conversions to her points tally. 

As the players waited eagerly for the player of the match announcement there were a number of Outlaws in contention but there were no surprises when the bubbly deservedly went to  Shannon Jordan.

After the game team captain Rhiz Lord was quick to congratulate her troops commenting ”  I am so proud of the team today. Every single person put their best foot forward and the result shows this. We gave it our all, despite horrendous weather conditions and came away with a much-deserved win. This has given us the boost we needed and we head into next week’s Midlands tournament ready to win again!”

Final thoughts came from a very satisfied Women’s Head Coach Mark Stockman who added “I thought the ladies battled well given the torrential conditions. We put a lot of what we’re doing in training into practice today. The friendly also allowed me as coach to be able to try some different combinations. We need a big push at training this week to give ourselves the best opportunity for a result next weekend.”

Nottingham Outlaws and Sherwood Wolf Hunt clashed in the first Nottinghamshire Rugby League cup final in twenty years at Lenton Lane on Friday and it was well worth the wait as the two sides went toe-to-toe before Sherwood eventually finished 30-26 victors after 80 minutes of pulsating rugby league action.

With a big crowd assembled it was the Outlaws who started the strongest, setting up camp in and around the visitors twenty metre zone and they soon got the score board ticking over when Jacob Butler scrambled over in heavy traffic to nudge the Outlaws ahead 4-0.

The Butler try settled the home nerves and they began to get on top, dominating field position and possession but not for the first time this season they lacked the cutting edge to open up a well-drilled and enthusiastic Wolf Hunt defence.

As so often happens in rugby league football, a failure to take chances was punished ruthlessly as Wolf Hunt twice broke clear from their own half to score back to back try’s to teach the Outlaws a lesson in how to score including an excellent sixty metre solo effort by Sherwood winger Matt Cahill who used his pace to out-sprint the home defence

The two Wolf Hunt trys in the midway stages of the half proved to be a hammer blow to the Outlaws who were destined to chase the game from this point onwards.

Despite the blow the Outlaws did their best to get back into the frame and they should have bagged more points, but their attack once again lacked the guile and cutting edge to bother the scoreboard.

Indeed, it looked like their efforts were about to go unrewarded but right on the stroke of half time big Jack Jonson showed his team mates the way with a bullocking try straight down the middle, crashing over for an excellent try. Whitfield added the extras to narrow the gap to 10-12 as the first half hooter sounded.

Both sides took a well-earned breather after 40 minutes of furious action in which neither side had managed to fully stamp their authority on their opposite numbers.

Not for the first time this season the Outlaws started the second stanza in lacklustre fashion and they soon began to leak points against a Sherwood team that  knew its way to the tryline.

The problems started with the second stanza only four minutes old as the Outlaws were penalised in possession and after back to back penalties Sherwood extended their lead  and then some poor one-on-one tackling let Sherwood in again.

Indeed with twenty second half minutes played the Outlaws hopes of cup glory seemed dead and buried as they now trailed 24-10.

After a poor third quarter the Outlaws knew they needed to up the ante if they were to salvage anything from the game and they did just that!

A superb break by Gaz Whitfield looked like the Outlaw fullback had got over in the corner but the hotly disputed try was disallowed by the referee who judged that the ball had gone into touch before grounding.

However, an Outlaws try wasn’t long in coming as good hands released Aiden Butler who scored in the corner to reduce the deficit to 14-24 and there was now a glimmer of hope for the home side!

With the clock showing 15 minutes remaining the Outlaws were once again finding their rhythm and leading the way was George Strachan who rolled back the years with a masterclass at dummy half.

Time and again the old war horse opened up the Wolf Hunt defence with well timed passes before he put in an unstoppable burst from the play the ball to score another Outlaws try, with Whitfield narrowing the deficit further to 20-24 with the extras.

It looked like the Outlaws were about to snatch something from the game but their fightback once again faltered, losing the ball early in the tackle count after the restart which was compounded by some poor defending as Sherwood fullback Chris Peceval went through some weak tackling to bag his second of the game and put the visitors two scores ahead at 20-28

As the clock ticked down Sherwood increased their tally to thirty with a penalty and it looked all over but once again the Outlaws hit back with an excellent solo effort from twenty metres as the hard working Tom Wigglesworth jinked through a gap to score and when Whitfield added the extras the gap had narrowed to 26-30.

As the clock wound down the Outlaws threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Wolf Hunt defence but they couldn’t quite get the score they desperately needed and the visitors ultimately held out to take the spoils, much to the delight of their travelling supporters.

Despite the defeat the Outlaws coaching staff were not too despondent in the knowledge that that they had matched their visitors try-for-try before falling just short and there will be more matches to come between these two sides who both look likely to be in the mix for the Midland Premier title this season

Man of the match was awarded to Captain Coryn ward who led his troops magnificently from first to last minute in a desperate attempt to lead his troops to victory.

This coming Friday sees a huge City v County clash when Nottingham Outlaws face local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt at Lenton Lane (Friday 7^th June 7.30pm).

Both sides sport 100% league records in the Midlands Premier so it is going to be a huge match-up and maybe a pointer towards who might finish as top dogs at the end of the 2024 campaign.

The local Nottinghamshire rivalry goes back to the 1980’s when Nottingham Crusaders used to regularly cross swords with crack Mansfield outfit Garabaldi in the winter era in the now-defunct EMARLA league.

When the game moved to summer in 1999 Nottingham Outlaws picked up the mantle for Nottingham and within a couple of years  Mansfield Storm were formed to begin playing in the Summer season and once again re-ignite the oldest  rugby league rivalry in the Midlands.

After a couple of seasons Storm disbanded and once again Nottingham Outlaws were left to fly the Nottinghamshire flag alone until  2014 when  Sherwood Wolf Hunt was formed to once again carry the torch for rugby league in Mansfield/North Nottinghamshire.

Perhaps disappointingly its taken 10 years for the two sides to meet again on the rugby league field but this coming Friday they will do just that in what promises to be a great match-up and a celebration of forty years of rugby league rivalry in the county!

Nottingham Outlaws winning start to the 2024 Midlands Premier League Season continued on Saturday when they just squeezed past the wining post with a hard-earned 22-20 away victory at last year’s champions Telford Raiders. In an absorbing contest, the  Outlaws led comfortably at half time before leaking three quick fire try’s to find themselves chasing the game but a late try by James Hood snatched a hard-earned win for the Nottingham outfit.

The Outlaws went into the match sporting a number of changes to the team that had come out on top against Oxford the previous weekend with Mikey Anderson and Sam Andrews returning to the front row and James Hood and Aidan Butler returning to the threequarters.

The match started evenly with both teams cancelling each other out with some strong defending and both struggling to find any fluency in attack. However the Outlaws finally found their cutting edge on the fifteen-minute mark when James Hood proved too big and too strong for the home defence, breaking two tackles before planting the ball down over the whitewash to score the opening try which Whitfield converted and the Outlaws led 6-0.

The Outlaws try seemed to settle the nerves and boost their confidence and they began to move the ball with confidence and they doubled their score five minutes later as Haz Ashby fooled the opposition defence, shaping to pass before scooting through a gap to double the Outlaws lead at 12-0.

Despite the Outlaws lead the home side were still asking plenty of questions and twice in succession they nearly scored but some great defending by James Hood and Adam Ward kept the Outlaws line intact when a try seemed certain.  However on the third time of asking they did manage to get over the line as the Outlaws leaked successive penalties and the Raiders took advantage to reduce the Outlaws lead to one score at 12-6.

With the clock ticking down there was just time for one more attack and once again it was Ashby who fooled the opposition defence, dummying and breaking through the Raiders line before powering over the line despite the attention of the opposition fullback.

Despite the angle Whitfield added the extras and the Outlaws went into the interval two scores ahead at 18-6 but with the contest still very much alive.

With the temperatures rising the coaching staff decided to bring on the cavalry with Page, Burgin and Strachan all joining the fray to breathe some fresh life into the side.

Despite the changes the Outlaws started the second half in similar vein to the Oxford match a week ago with a catalogue of errors handing possession and initiative to the home side and they soon began to chip away at the Outlaws lead.

The first score came off a lost ball and then a second quick fire try on the end of a back-to-back set saw the Outlaws lead shrink to two points at 16-18.

With seventeen minutes left to play the travelling Outlaws faithful feared the worse when Telford scored a third try on the bounce to nudge ahead at 20-18 and it seemed like a half time winning position was going to be handed back on a plate to the now dominant home team.

Having been under the cosh for most of the second stanza the Outlaws desperately needed some energy from somewhere and luckily for them they found it!

With the Raiders beginning to tire visibly Outlaws forwards Luke Wadding, Jack Jonson and Sam Andrews began to get on top with some hard drives into the heart of the Raiders defence.

Half back Tom Wigglesworth was now getting better ball and field position to work with and as a result he began to orchestrate play and mount a series of attacks on the home line. 

Strachan and Mikey Anderson came close before powerful centre  James Hood bagged his second try of the game, crashing through his opposite number to nudge the Outlaws back in front at 20-22. 

As the clock ticked down neither team could add to the tally and when the final hooter sounded the Outlaws players, coaching staff and the travelling faithful breathed a collective sigh of relief on a job well done!

After the game the players waited for the announcement of the man of the match. There were several players in with a shout but in the end it was a joint win with James Hood and Haz Ashby sharing the award with each of the two tyros’ bagging a fine a brace of trys. 

As the squad relaxed coach Joe Shepherd was quick to express his satisfaction and relief on proceedings adding “Whilst we did make it hard on ourselves on occasions we certainly battled well and I am delighted to travel to the home of last season’s champions and come away with the two points. I thought the performance was much better than last week’s run-out against Oxford and I know that there is more improvements to come from this squad.”

Next weekend the Outlaws have the luxury of a weekend off before they entertain local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt at Lenton Lane on Friday 7^th June (7.30pm).

Nottingham Outlaws were thrilled to learn that their current physio Becky Mayo has recently been crowned British Ju Jitsu Champion and now heads out to California this coming Bank Holiday weekend to compete in the World Championships!

Becky is the club’s regular Physio on match days in recent years and she can usually be seen along the touchline tending to injured Outlaws players during matches and also helping players with their injury re-hab during the week. However, when she isn’t tending to players ailments, she is busy training and and competing in Ju Jitsu competitions and her hard work has been duly rewarded with the National title and this weekend’s dream trip to California.

Indeed the highly popular physio has been instrumental in helping a number of players recover from serious injury and oversee their rehabilitation program, including current  men’s team captain Coryn Ward who was quick to both thank Becky and wish her well, adding “Becky is highly popular and great to have around the club. She is always there to help not only on matchdays but during the week too. I know this only too well as she has helped me enormously when I was recovering from knee surgery, overseeing my rehab program and getting me back playing in an Outlaws shirt”

Club Chairman Richard Johnson was also quick to offer congratulations to Becky and wish her look in the forthcoming World Finals, commenting “Becky is an important part of our matchday team and her professional approach and friendly personality means she is both popular and highly respected by the players, coaching team and committee members alike. Of course, we wish her well this weekend and we can’t wait to see her back in Nottingham so she can tell us all about her quest for gold!”

Nottingham Outlaws hit the ground running in their 2024 Midlands Premier League campaign on Saturday when they  scorched to a convincing 40-20 victory over a hard working but ultimately outgunned Oxford Cavaliers outfit at Lenton Lane on Saturday.

The Outlaws went into the game with several changes to the squad that went down to Bedford last weekend, but they soon hit their straps as early as the opening set, moving the ball down the blind side and winger Adam Ward latched onto a cut out pass to nudge the Outlaws into a 4-0 lead with only two minutes on the clock.

If the Outlaws thought they were in for an easy afternoon at the office then someone had forgotten to hand Oxford the script and on the back of successive penalties the visitors nudged ahead 6-4 with a short-range effort on the back of some sloppy home defence.

The deficit didn’t last long as the visitors made a hash from the re-start and from the resulting scrum Gaz Whitfield jinked his way over from twenty metres out and subsequently added the extras from bang in front to put the Outlaws back in the lead at 10-6.

It was a lead they were destined to keep for the rest of the game.

The remainder of the first half was probably the best section of the game for the Outlaws as they began to capitalise on their superior speed and know-how and in doing so they kept the scoreboard ticking over with a great solo effort from Cal Foster who had injected some much-needed pace and vigour from the bench.

Indeed, the young Trent powerhouse went over again five minutes later, wriggling out of the tackle despite the attention of two defenders as the Outlaws lead stretched to 22-6.

Having been through something of a purple patch the Outlaws failed to keep up the intensity and they once again were guilty of some weak defending, dropping off tackles in their right hand defensive channel as Oxford hit back from forty metres out to reduce the deficit to 22-12 as the referee brought the first stanza to a close.

The Outlaws had exhibited some poor form at the end of the first forty and they carried on in the same manner at the opening of the second stanza, once again leaking a try on the back of some basic one-on-one mis-tackles as the lead was cut to one score at 22-16.

Stung by this reversal the Outlaws upped the ante and within five minutes Gaz Whitfield extended the Outlaws lead to two scores notching a fine brace in the process and stretching the score out to 28-16 by adding the extras.

The Whitfield score seemed to knock the stuffing out of a rapidly tiring Cavaliers side who were now rapidly running out of steam and bodies as the visitor’s injury toll mounted, and with it the Outlaws lead stretched out to 34-16 as Haz Ashby used his size and reach to stretch over for a great solo effort.

By now it was all one-way traffic and two minutes later Gaz Whitfield put the icing on the cake for a great solo performance as the sharpshooter completed a well-deserved hattrick to take the Outlaws lead out to 40-16.   

A late try by the visitors reduced the deficit but with their dwindling reserves the referee mercifully brought proceedings to a close early with Outlaws home and hosed at 40-20.

After the game there were a few Outlaws in the frame for the Player of the Match award. On any other day it might have gone to hattrick hero Gaz Whitfield who had a fine day at the office with ball in hand but he was just pipped by rookie utility player Cal Foster who injected some much-needed pace and vigour every time he touched the ball.

After the game coach Shepherd announced his satisfaction with proceedings but also recognised that there was still work to do if the Outlaws were to mount a serious league challenge, adding “I was certainly pleased to get the win and some of our attacking play was excellent, however some aspects of our play left a bit to desired so the lads can enjoy the win today but they know that they will come to training next week and I will be looking at things to work on as they will face much tougher challenges ahead”

Indeed the  Outlaws league campaign will definitely go up a notch next weekend when they pay a visit last year’s champions Telford Raiders.

Nottingham Outlaws travelled down the M1 on Saturday to play Bedford Tigers Academy in a hastily rearranged friendly against their Southern Premier counterparts. Both teams used the occasion to play larger squads but it was the Outlaws that came out on top with a huge 88-8 victory.

With Leamington Royals pulling out of the opening league fixture at late notice the chance to give the squad another run out was gratefully accepted by the coaching team and a squad of 22 players headed south for the friendly.

Both teams took to the field on what was probably the hottest day of the year but it was the Outlaws that started the stronger with Adam Ward opening the scoring on the left wing as the ball moved out wide for the first time and almost straight from the restart Gaz Whitfield stretched the lead out t0 10-0, scoring a try from a well-rehearsed move close to the line and then adding the extras.

On the fifteen minute mark the Outlaws added two more trys with Mikey Anderson scoring on his debut with a well-taken effort and Jimmy Goodwin marking his return to the side after a four year absence with a typically no-nonsense effort close to the line.

At this stage of the game the points were racking up at the rate of more than a point a minute and when James Hood, Luke Wadding and Jack Jonson went over almost untouched the scoreboard could hardly keep up with the scoring rate!

With the coaching staff looking on the Outlaws were in no-mood to ease up the pressure and good hands down the line saw debutants Jacob Butler and Alfie Jones open their try scoring account for the club with both newcomers already showing that they will be more than useful additions to the squad this season.

As the half-time hooter approached the hard working home side did manage to mount a few attacks of their own and they engineered a well taken try to open their account and close out the scoring at the end of the first stanza with the Outlaws way out ahead at 48-8.

With the coaching team making no fewer than six interchanges at the break the team took their foot off the gas after the re-start and in the first set after the break the home club capitalised on some weak Outlaws defending on the line to double their score and reduce the deficit to 8-48.

Stung by this reversal and with some stern words from Captain Ward ringing in their ears the Outlaws soon upped the ante with rangy winger Adam Ward breaking free from the forty metre zone to win a foot race to the line and within a minute the  long-striding winger was in full flow again to complete his first ever hattrick for the club.

The next Outlaws attack yielded another try with powerful centre James Hood breaking loose on the halfway line with a huge fend on his opposite number before scorching down the pitch to draw the fullback and release Harry Hemmingway in support and he duly scampered over untouched.

The next two scores went to two old war horses who have come back into the fold after a few years away from the club. The first of the duet came from Jimmy Goodwin who stole the ball in a one-on-one tackle before racing away to score and then John Hemmingway showed that he still had what it takes with a fine solo effort to mark his return to the game.

With the game moving into the closing stages the Outlaws added two try’s in the last three minutes with James Hood once again using his size and strength to break clear and then Haz Ashby wrapping up the scoring with a crafty show-and-go that saw the stand-off shoot through a gap to score and then he calmly added the extras from bang in front to wrap up the game with the Outlaws way out in front at 8-88.

After the game the Outlaws coaching team expressed their satisfaction to the players on a job well done but there will no doubt be some much tougher challenges ahead for the team, starting with next Saturdays league opener against Oxford Cavaliers at Lenton Lane (2.30pm).

Nottingham Outlaws 2024 campaign finally gets underway on Saturday after a seven month lay-off from competitive league action. Indeed the last league match the team played was back in September when they entertained Ossett Trinity in what proved to be their final match in Yorkshire League Division 2 and this Saturday they start life afresh in the Midlands Premier Division with an intriguing looking clash at Leamington Royals.

The two sides have never met at senior level so it will be a true bellwether of what the Outlaws will be facing in the newly expanded Midlands Premier League that sees the Outlaws playing the likes of Swindon St George, Oxford Cavaliers and of course, local rivals Sherwood Wolf Hunt.

Despite a close defeat in the annual Heroes Trophy match a fortnight ago, the Outlaws will be looking to hit the ground running on Saturday with a new-look squad containing a number of new players on debut. The fresh faces will include several of this years Trent Scholarship players who have performed well in the BUCS student Premier Division with Callum Foster, Jacob Butler and Olly Hopkins all likely to be in the mix and they will be joined by several familiar faces including Captain Coryn Ward who once again be leading his charges from the front.

With the new campaign looming large, Outlaws wily coach Joe Shepherd was clearly looking forward to the start of league fixtures commenting “Personally I can’t wait for the first league game. The lads are chomping at the bit and everyone is raring to go after a really good pre-season. We noticeably improved from our training run-through with the Royal Signals and in last week’s Heroes Trophy against the Royal Artillery, and we’re looking for another improvement this week. Competition for places is going to be huge, so I’m excited to see which players step up and look to cement their place in the team over the coming weeks”

Nottingham Outlaws took to the field at Lenton Lane on Saturday for their first game of the 2024 campaign, the annual Heroes Trophy clash against the Royal Artillery.  Their rugby-starved fans were not disappointed as they were treated to a highly entertaining game which ebbed and flowed before the Outlaws finally succumbed to a 26-30 defeat.

With temperatures more akin to winter rather than summer rugby, Outlaws started the new campaign somewhat sluggishly, perhaps not surprisingly considering this was their first competitive game for over seven months! Indeed some of the early tackling attempts were more than lacklustre as they fell 8-0 behind following an early brace of trys to the visitors.

With fifteen minutes on the clock the new look Outlaws squad finally began to gel and they swept down the field thanks to a fine break by Tom Wigglesworth that was finished off by James Hood who used his size and strength to get over the line for a fine try. Gaz Whitfield added the extras to reduce the deficit to 4-8.

Despite having got back into the game the Outlaws defence continued to let them down as once again they fell off the tackle with alarming regularity resulting in two more scores before the break. However the Outlaws did keep chipping away and they got just reward when Harry Hemmingway got his first try for the club from short range to leave the Outlaws trailing 20-10 at the break.

If the Outlaws were to stand a chance of getting back into the game it was important that they got the first try after the interval and they did just that when Captain Coryn Ward used his pace and footwork to scoot over in between the posts from ten metres out. Whitfield converted from bang in front to reduce the deficit to one score at 16-20.

The Ward try seemed to buoy the Outlaws further and they settled into some great form. Indeed the first twenty minutes of the second stanza was probably their best spell of the game as they hammered away at the Gunners line but some over-eager play saw the ball go to ground when a cooler approach would have probably yielded more scores.

As so often happens in rugby league, their failure to capitalise on their dominance was destined to be punished and so it was as the Artillery extended their lead 16-24 with a rare foray into the Outlaws red zone.

The Outlaws dominance in possession and field position continued despite the setback but once again it looked likely to go unrewarded until big prop Mikey Bennet who used size and brute strength to crash over despite the attention of three Artillery defenders for a great solo effort. Whitfield slotted over to reduce the deficit to the narrowest of margins at 22-24.

With fifteen minutes to play it was all Outlaws now as they looked to snatch the trophy from the Gunners grasp. Indeed on three occasions they crossed the whitewash only to be held up over the line by some desperate Gunners defending.

Despite the prolonged assault the Outlaws had failed to take the lead and they were duly punished when the Artillery broke from deep to go fully eighty metres down the pitch for a fine solo effort that extended the visitors lead to 30-22.

Despite the setback the Outlaws went back on the attack from the restart and this time they were rewarded when Harry Hemmingway  wrestled his way over in the corner to complete a brace of try’s and cap a fine day at the office for the rookie winger.

As the clock ticked down the Outlaws threw the proverbial kitchen sink at the Gunners defence and on the very last play of the game it looked like they were about to level the scores as second rower Oliver Hopkins dived over in the corner but the ball fell agonisingly from his grasp and the try was disallowed.

After the whistle there was plenty of chat around who might grab the coveted player of the match award. There were quite a few players in with a shout but the award deservedly went to Gaz Whitfield for some excellent work from the fullback spot

Despite the defeat there were plenty of positives to take from the game with Coach Shepherd more than pleased with how his young squad was beginning to shape up as the new league season rapidly approaches.

Nottingham Outlaws travelled to Illingworth on Sunday for their first hit out of the season in the Women’s National Cup.

A new-look team travelled up the M1 including several players on debut as well as a number of regulars including Violet Coppin, last season’s top try scorer Robyn Gulley, and new Captain Rhiz Lord.

After a slow start the Outlaws soon found themselves 16-0 down as some rusty, lackluster defence saw them leak three early trys without response and with only fifteen minutes on the clock the signs looked ominous!

Captain Rhiz Lord did her best to rally the troops and some strong words from the Captain seemed to hit home as the Outlaws defence stiffened and with more ball in hand they began to ask a few questions of the home defence. Indeed on the thirty minute mark the Outlaws opened their account with a superb solo effort from Robyn Gulley who scorched down the pitch, racing fully sixty meters to open her 2024 scoring account.

The Outlaws were now going through something of a purple patch and Robyn Gulley added her second of the game to reduce the arrears to 16-10 and with the clock ticking down it looked like the Outlaws were about to draw level only for a good-looking try to be chalked off by the referee as the first half finished with the Outlaws well and truly in the hunt at 16-10 in arrears.

The second half saw the Outlaws tire somewhat and as with the first half they leaked three quick trys to trail 28-10 but they rallied strongly and nearly scored on three occasions only to be held up inches short.

A final try by the home side closed out the scoring at 34-10 and although they were out of the cup at the first attempt there were plenty of positives for the Outlaws coaching team to take heart from. Including several promising debuts and a fine day at the office for player of the match Robyn Gulley.