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Old Leamingtonians Ladies vs Hereford Greyhounds: 28 – 14
Old Leams Ladies pick up points
After a break in competitive games for more than 2 months, Old Leamingtonians Ladies continued their league campaign in Womens Midlands 2 with a win over Hereford Greyhounds.
The end stages of the league campaign have been marred by cancellations and postponements, making Sunday’s match only the second of two competitive matches in the space of 3 months. The upside of this is that the 3 players who made their debut for Old Leamingtonians in this match have had plenty of time to settle in to the team during training sessions over the past months.
Despite a few errors that seemed to stem from a certain lack of match-sharpness, the home side went up 5-0 after 10 minutes. Katy Ingram, normally a Second-Row but playing on the wing this time, scored her first ever try after some good handling down the line.
The second came soon after when Number 8 Janine McComiskey provided excellent support to the backs. She picked the ball up in midfield and powered her way across the line.
Greyhounds had something in return when they scored their only try of the first half after defensive errors fm Old Leamingtonians allowed Carry Phillips to break through and score under the posts. The conversion brought the score to 10-7.
Old Leams scored once more before half time with Centre Kelly McLeod sprinting her way through the middle. At half time, the score was 15-7 for Old Leams.
The second half saw a few changes in the team with Charlie Graham coming on as scrum half and Claire Penna moving to the wing.
With the strong wind now blowing in their face, Old Leams were looking for bonus points in their race for second place in the league. But it was Greyhounds who scored first. Lack of attention provided Greyhounds with a good opportunity to bring the score closer together when Bonny Verry was allowed to run through the defensive lines and score between the posts. With the score now 15-14, Old Leams knew hey had to up their game and keep their heads switched on.
The rest of the second half was pretty much played on Greyhounds’ territory. Old Leams were given a few penalties in the Greyhounds’ 22 but failed to score. Flanker Chris Graham saw her attempt held up but from the resulting scrum, Scrumhalf Charlie Graham picked up the ball and dived over the line. Vicki Stokes later added 3 points with a well-placed penalty kick.
Towards the end of the match, Old Leams were awarded a penalty on the Greyhounds 5-metre line. With the referee indicating that it was going to be the last action of the match, Old Leams decided to run it instead of kicking for goal, trying to get a bonus point for scoring 5 tries. Prop forward Mary Sugrue took the ball on and powered across the line, securing the bonus points with her first ever try.
Player of the Match was debutante Gemma Honor. She put in a star performance on the wing with great running and some excellent tackles.
There is now only 1 match left to play for Old Leams. And that match will decide the final standings of the league table as they play their direct rivals Shrewsbury. A win will secure 2nd place for Old Leams in a season that has been marked by progress and an influx of new players.
Old Leamingtonians Ladies – Shrewsbury will be played on Sunday, April 23rd at The Crofts. Kick-off is at 2.30pm.
For more information: http://www.olrfc.co.uk/ladies |
