Cooke being the only women’s rugby club in Ulster to boast a position in the esteemed All Ireland One division stepped up to the mark last weekend to take on the undefeated U. S state champions, the Milwaukee Panthers, as the American side embark on a tour around Ireland.

The Cooke team is comprised of a number of provincial players and so the girls donned the Ulster jersey in order to mark the occasion. From first kick off the Ulster club dominated up front and within the first eight minutes the girls mauled the Milwaukee team to their line for Cooke’s Nicola Dixon (lock) to gain an early try.

From that point the posts were set and a high-quality, intensive and tough game ensued. Cooke’s back row pacified the pacey Panthers with pairing of scrum-half; Suzanne Fleming and fly-half; Heather Thomlinson making good use of the possession the forwards were gaining and combined with centre Laura Nichol they kept the American side on the back boot throughout the first half.

The second half was of a similarly high standard and despite some strong running from the American side; the Panthers were no match to the experienced Ulster club with Thomlinson's kicking relieving any pressure. To confirm Cooke’s conquest, Laura Nichol gained a superb try within the last twenty minutes of the match.