Cheltenham North Women have ended a fine season by being crowned champions.

They won NC 3 South West (North) after winning 13 of their 14 games in the eight-team division.

“It’s been a really good year, it’s fantastic,” said head coach Dave Payne.

Their only defeat came on Sunday when they went down 20-19 to their closest rivals, Ashley Down Old Boys Women.

The two teams finished level at the top but the North claimed the title because of their far superior points difference.

They beat Ashley Down 62-10 at home back in September – their first game of the campaign – and Payne said: “We knew as long as we didn’t lose by about 100 points on Sunday that we’d win the title.

“We obviously wanted to win the game and it was disappointing to lose but the girls are very happy with what they’ve achieved.”

They were captained all season by prop Vicki Walker, and Payne continued: “The women’s team were formed only in 2019.

“We had 10 people at the first training session, none of whom had played rugby. This is only our second season in this league.”

The North will play in NC 2 South West (North) in 2025/26 – a division that this season included the likes of Avonmouth, North Bristol 2nds, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury and Dursley.

“It will be tougher, we’ll be playing against far more established teams,” said Payne, who confirmed that he plans to continue as head coach next season.

“We’ve fielded about 30 players this season and hopefully some of our under-16s and under-18s will start feeding through too.”

And when those youngsters do break into the first team they will be joining a side that is certainly heading in the right direction.

“We’ve got ability right through the team,” added Payne. “We’ve got some talented backs and we’ve got some good forwards who work hard to win the ball. We enjoy running with the ball.”