The score was nowhere near as important as being back on the field for the ladies of St Neots Rugby Club as they prepare for a long-awaited season.

They went down 36-0 at home to Peterborough in a friendly but with the visitors playing one league higher than Saints, and the team having only played once in over 18 months, the coaching staff were delighted with the effort and the way they are knitting together as a squad.

Sion James said: “Despite a slow start, we grew with confidence the longer the game went on and began to find our patterns and rhythm that gave us both good territory and more possession."

Fellow coach Johnny Mo added: "Seeing as this is only our second game for quite a while we are starting to look like a good team with our new players fitting in nicely."

Nicki Barker and Chloe Bawden put in crunching tackle after crunching tackle, earning themselves the forwards of the match award, and there were signs of the work on the training field being put into practice.

The only thing missing was a deserved score which they will look to put right when they play their first league game against Biggleswade on September 26.

The men did score, and a lot, but they lost their opening pre-season fixture 41-33 to Northampton Men’s Own.

They split the contest between first and second teams, each getting a half, and after the firsts had finished their efforts, St Neots had taken a 33-7 against opposition who play one league higher.

Aiden Jordan grabbed himself a hat-trick with George Osborne and Ross Hubbard also crossing for a try each, Adam Porter obliging with four conversions.

The second-team Heathens made up the squad for the second period and after a few more changes they defended stoutly in the closing 20 minutes.

In the end though Northampton did enough to take the win.