It all started with the Suffolk Youth Games …….

Ellie was awarded Forest Heath Sports Personality of the Year at a recent ceremony. Ellie started playing rugby as a result of the coaching that Newmarket RUFC youth and mini section coaches provided for Forest Heath District Council for the Suffolk Youth Games. Training for the Forest Heath Tag Rugby team, she attended training sessions at the club in March 2004 when she was 10 years old. As a result she was then selected to play for the Forest Heath Tag Rugby team at the Suffolk Youth Games in Ipswich, where they got to the final but lost in horrendous weather to Ipswich.

She enjoyed the sport so much so that she joined Newmarket under 11’s in September 2004, playing contact rugby alongside the boys, in a mixed mini team. The training sessions were every Sunday morning, with various matches, both home and away, through to April 2005. She then started training again in September 2005, which was under 12’s, again having an enjoyable season. Finishing with the Newmarket RUFC Mini and youth section Mini Clubman of the year award 2004/05. 

In August 2008 she attended the under 18’s trials for Eastern Counties, and was selected as Fly Half (10). After that she attended a day of trialling for East region and got in as full back (15). She played in a regional festival where East won in the final to South 14-5.(Best region in England and Wales) She attended trials for the high performance academy, at Wellington College (Berkshire), from which the RFUW selects the Talent Development Group ( the national squad for the under 18’s girls).

She made it to the TDG and attended Wellington College for Summer Training, being coached and run by England women’s player Maggie Alphonsi. She continued to progress and work hard.

Ellie made her debut for England Women Under 20s in their 12-5 win over France in February 2011 at Worcester