Rising stars make the conversion

Apr 17 2008 by Dave Bettley, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

TWO student rugby players converted from league to union for the national finals of the British Colleges Championships.

Eighteen-year-olds Laura Outten and Hannah Blackburn either play or support the 13-a-side game but switched to the other code for the multi-sport tournament at Loughborough University.

Hannah had never played rugby before going to trials for which she was nominated because of her dexterity as captain of the college netball team.

The Riverside College Halton duo were selected to represent the North West and faced other regional rugby teams and those representing Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Both are studying at the college’s Cronton campus.

This was Laura’s second successive selection for the competition and she again enjoyed it, despite her participation being cut short.

The Halton Women and Girls Rugby League player missed three of the seven games, as the North West finished fifth, after suffering mild concussion.

Laura, from Widnes, is studying Double Award travel and tourism and for A-levels in PE and film studies.

She said: “I was chuffed to bits when I got picked again. Not only do you represent yourself, the college and county but you also get to experience playing some of the top sports people in the country.

“The weekend was fantastic – the whole experience of the weekend and being able to watch such a high standard of sport was amazing.”

St Helens RLFC supporter Hannah, of Cronton, is doing A-levels in maths, German, chemistry and physics and was seen as a perfect convert to rugby.

Riverside tutor and netball coach Sharon Woods put Hannah’s name forward for selection due to her excellent ball-handling skills.

“It was a great experience,” she said.

“I played four games which was good but I think I could have done with playing a few games beforehand. My whole body is aching.”

Sharon Woods added: “This is fantastic experience for the girls, not only to use the sports facilities at Loughborough University but to experience playing in a highly-competitive game.”

The national finals, which have been on the colleges’ calendar for 10 years, involve a variety of sports – also including table tennis, football, swimming, badminton and cricket.