Bermuda rugby player Najeé Pitt-Clarke has taken the next step on her sporting ladder by competing for Berkshire.

Pitt-Clarke was selected for the county side after participating in a number of trial sessions and scored two tries in a 44-31 victory against East Midlands at Maidenhead Rugby Club on Saturday.

Playing as a winger, the 26-year-old was heavily involved in the match and delighted with her experience playing with an unfamiliar group.

“It went really well and I had played with only four of the girls previously with Reading Kites,” Pitt-Clarke said.

“The squad is made up of girls playing for teams across Berkshire county but everyone was very inclusive and it felt like I was meant to be a part of the team.

“But there was a noticeable step up in standard. We had all been through a trials process and this squad was made up of the elite players in the region.

Pitt-Clarke was nervous but found the level of coaching and the quality of players helped her to take the step up in class in her stride

“I found that the higher the standard, the easier the game,” Pitt-Clarke said.

“It was easier for me to see the space, know my place and make sure that everything is covered. You also end up less injured and with better results.

“We’d been practising a couple of plays in training and this is the first team I’ve had coaches actively trying to incorporate the wing.

The intention was for me to get more involved in the line and put myself in the position to have the wheels and get to the try line. My job was to see the space, put myself through the space and get set up.

“There was one other girl, her name was Princess, who was on the opposing team and we were pretty evenly matched. I had to make sure all my power was used to get to the try line because she was right on me all the time.”

The only downside for Pitt-Clarke is that the game was played on an artificial 4G pitch, leaving her sore in the hours and days after.

“My stamina has increased tremendously and sevens is far more brutal when it comes to fatigue because you have a lot of running to do.

“I'm fine but we were playing on a 4G pitch so I have some burns. I got a mean tackle when I was off my feet and that led to a burn on my arm and I have a couple of burns on my legs, but I’ve felt more broken playing for an elite sevens team and playing several games in one day.

Pitt-Clarke’s performance has garnered a lot of tension and she will be competing in a number of high-profile tournaments in the hope of moving up the rugby pyramid.

“I have a tournament on June 21 and that will be more intense,” she said.

“The West Indies team is also potentially participating in a tournament in England this summer so I will paly in that and I’m looking to move up from Kites, so I’ll be making a lot of changes soon.”