After finishing 2nd and 3rd in the last two years - missing out on 2nd by only a point last year - our Scorpions have had a strong summer of recruitment and will have one eye on promotion this year.

The women go into the game following an impressive pre-season, gaining an emphatic 0-36 win at Wymondham in their last outing, after putting Chelmsford to the test in an entertaining 22-40 home clash.

With both Wymondham and Chelmsford competing in the league above (NC1), there are plenty of positive signs that our Women’s XV will be right among the challenge for the first-place league finish this year.

The summer saw the introduction of new Lead Coach Drew Fautley who brings a wealth of experience from the international and domestic women’s game. As Director of Rugby, Drew’s leadership and philosophy have already propelled the progress of our women’s section.

EJ Stearn returns as player-coach, having been instrumental to the Scorpions' success in recent years, joined by new coaches Ali Bevan and Harvey Clements who both bring fresh perspectives and wide-ranging rugby knowledge.

Skilful and highly experienced Georgia Clements leads the line as new captain while tenacious Eastern Counties rep Lauren Howard supports her as vice.

We’re excited to see promising new players Emily Platt and Mel Veliewai make their league debuts in the front row after showcasing excellent handling and physicality in pre-season.

New signing Steph Durrant appears for the first time, bringing even more pace and rugby know-how to our backline after 15 years at Bury St Edmunds and many campaigns for Eastern Counties.

In a different sort of debut, we're delighted to announce Nick Williams as the new women's medic. Having been a paramedic for 15 years and this year obtaining an MSc, Nick is a hugely valuable addition to our match day crew. He's also Ipswich through and through with an impressive 29 years at the club, including as a player and looking after the Colts.

A massive thank you to Generate Leads Online (GLO) for sponsoring the Scorpions this season, including providing a fresh new kit. The Ipswich-based digital marketing agency is headed up by long-time clubman John Parnell and we look forward to welcoming the GLO team to HDL this season!

Come down, soak up the atmosphere and cheer on the team at Humber Doucy Lane on Sunday - the bar will be open and match programmes are available for all supporters.

Good luck Scorpions!