TWO Malton & Norton RUFC girls have been selected for the North of England Under-18 divisional squad. Rachel Lund and Tatyana Heard, both 16, began playing their club rugby with Malton’s mini section.

They came through North trials after competing with 54 U18 girls from Yorkshire, Northumberland, Durham, Cheshire and Cumbria.

The format of girls rugby has changed this year to adopt similar structures to that of the junior boys, going from a regional system which previously split the country into 11 regions, to divisional rugby which splits the country into four areas – North, Midlands, London and South East and South West.

Heard, who plays inside centre, and Lund, a full-back, will attend intensive weekend training camps.

U18s hooker Vicki Carbutt has also been selected for her age group. Carbutt, who hails from Aireborough RUFC, where her father, Simon, is first team coach, is registered at Malton because of a lack of girls rugby in her area and has played at The Gannock.

Successful North of England U15 trialists also registered at Malton are 15-year-old hooker Kira Drabble and full-back Zoe Aldcroft, 14, of Scarborough.