By Asia Samachar | Britain | Manjinder Kaur Nagra, the first Sikh woman to represent England at rugby, met resistance both at home and out in society where some deemed it as the men’s game. The woman from Hove, East Sussex, had one goal: to break down the cultural barriers that may prevent others accessing the game. She was playing at Bath University in the 1990s where she was then selected to play for England Students. “When I went home, unfortunately, the expectation for me was to stop playing rugby, to start looking for a job, to think about getting married and have children,” she told the BBC in a recent interview. Manjinder’s dream of a senior England call-up ended and she pursued a career in law, but she continued to be involved in the game and, 10 years ago, set up Hove Girls Rugby. “I suppose my life was like a rugby version of Bend It Like Beckham I often say….Quite often when I played, I was the only person of Asian heritage on the pitch, and that was in my 30 years of play. “People need reminding that we are a community that is engaged in sport, we’re good at sport. We just need the chance and the opportunities, and people to reach out to us,” she told the BBC. When Manjinder founded Hove Girls Rugby, the team had just six players, but now have about 80 girls playing across four different age groups. She is the past president of the Sussex Law SocIety. Manjinder recently delivered the keynote at the “This Girl Can Be Inspired By” event at the Brighton & Hove City Council, talking to some 80 girls aged eight and nine. “One message came through loud and clear: single-sex PE classes make a big difference. Many girls said they’d feel more comfortable and likely to take part – something that’s still being overlooked in a lot of schools,” she wrote on her Instgram page. Last month, Manjinder was tapped to join the Cricket Discipline Panel (CDP), the independent tribunal which will hear and adjudicate on cases of alleged regulatory breaches in professional cricket, and decide what sanctions are appropriate for any breaches that are found to have occurred. The CDP’s function will be to consider cases brought before it by the Cricket Regulator, the body responsible for monitoring compliance with and enforcement of adherence to the game’s regulations on behalf of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). RELATED STORY: Singapore’s inimitable rugby captain (Asia Samachar, 14 July 2017) ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. You can leave your comments at our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We will delete comments we deem offensive or potentially libelous. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here