From Wales with Love!

The flower of the Welsh valleys, Rhianydd Lee-Jones, is leaving her home club, the Welsh Dragons, this year in order to play for Pennine alongside her boyfriend Joel Sics. Rhi (as she known to her friends) has played for the Dragons for most of her career and has represented Wales in the Junior division of the Tri-Nation Tournament. In 2005 she was in the Welsh team that won the C grade National Trophy for the Dragons and in 2006 she was in the Welsh B grade winning team. She will probably get a chance to run out in A grade for Pennine, who have been weakened by losing players such as Greg Burnett and Kim Lampard to Pendle and Tom Wigglesworth to retirement.

Rhianydd (holding Trophy) with her team mates after their 2005 Nationals C grade win

Rhi joins the Sics' brothers, Joel and Sam, and also Imogen Johnson at Pennine to form the basis of a young A grade team. Who the remaining two players will be remains unclear but they do have young players such as Claudia Richardson they could bring up. With the super eight format being used more this year this team would probably get into A grade but probably will not challenge for the places in the cup, at least not early on in the season.

Rhi (playboy bunny) with the Sics boys (Sam in aviators; Joel in the silly green thing) and friends (fron left, Charlie Wright Roberts, Oscar Harding, Sam Marsh, Jono Keen and Tom Wigglesworth)

The Welsh will miss her as she is a very handy young player, particularly in defence and a great talent for the future. She was, however, unlikely to feature regularly in the Dragons A grade side this year, which will probably consist of Lizzie and Charlie Wright-Roberts, Simon Shearing, Chris Robinson, Kristy Crook and then one from Charlotte Pykett and Jessica Shearing (if indeed they are both playing for the Dragons this year, there are rumours that Charlotte might move to Highlanders to play alongside her boyfriend, and UK star, Guy Robertson)