In an early pre-season opener for the team, Lewes Ladies faced off against a newly-promoted Blackheath last Sunday at Brighton RFC. The game was a fantastic opportunity for Lewes to pitch themselves against last year's winners of the National Championship 2 league in which Lewes will be competing in this season.

See Danny Simpson's pictures here>>

The Ladies’ starting line-up included many new faces, as well as some returning players, which made for a great mix of experience and enthusiasm. Flanker Sophie Hoyle, centre Kristin Kvalvik, fullback Siena Hatton-Brown and prop Cat Thompson all made their debut for the Lewes Ladies in great style and we’re very pleased to welcome them to the team this season.

We also welcomed back Rab Willis and Jenny (JC) Craggs after both took breaks from the game over the past season (or three!), and Katie Wadeson who returned from Southampton for a guest appearance.

The Lewes Ladies did spectacularly well – hitting the ground running (literally) from the starting gun and surprising a slightly complacent Blackheath side. After a few hiccups in the scrums, the Ladies found space out wide and Siena Hatton-Brown made a break which saw Lewes move into Blackheath’s 22. A sloppy line-out and a forward pass gave Lewes possession once more, and after a brief period of scrappy play, Katie Wadeson chased down her own kick and scored the first try of the game.

Directly from the restart, Lewes made an impression again – this time thanks to acting-fly-half Abbie Radford who broke through the defensive line to set Faye Kirby up with a second try for the Lewes Ladies.

Blackheath seemed to wake up after 10 minutes (and 10 points), and the next restart saw them push up with more aggression. Lewes still had the upper-hand however, and forced themselves back into Blackheath’s half. A hard-hitting ruck saw the London side gain possession, and a quick dash down the wing put pressure on Lewes for the first time.

Flanker Hannah Ross made a try-saving tackle, but it ultimately led to disaster and a broken collarbone for the heroic forward who was helped off the pitch and into an ambulance. Shortly afterwards, a clash of Lewes heads saw scrum-half Grace Darling leave the pitch with suspected concussion.

With only forward subs on the bench, Lewes had to do improvise with their line-up. Clearly shaken, the blue and whites struggled to regain control of the game. Blackheath could see they had the advantage, and used it well. A quick kick over the defensive line and a chase down saw Blackheath put points on the board for the first time.

Lewes recovered well, but as Blackheath ramped up the pressure it became harder to compete. Another injury saw the Lewes Ladies go down to 14 players, and Blackheath spotted the opportunities out on the wing. Despite losing the lead, Lewes never lost their heads. The forwards continued to make great ground in attack, and put in the big hits in defence but struggled to retain possession and ultimately Blackheath were better at converting their opportunities to tries.

At half time the score stood 10-33. Another Lewes injury shortly after the restart saw the ref decide to call the end of the match, deeming the conditions too difficult to continue playing.

Although the game was ultimately a loss for the Lewes Ladies, there are many positives to take from it. The first 10 minutes gave the team a glimpse of how they could be playing this season, and has given them the confidence that they deserve going into a tough new league.

The Lewes Ladies’ next pre-season friendly will be away against Hove on 3 September. Thanks to Blackheath for travelling down to play us, Brighton RFC for hosting, Danny Simpson for his fantastic photography and Ben McNamara for refereeing the game. Our best wishes go to the injured players Hannah Ross, Grace Darling and Tiegan Elliot and we have our fingers crossed for speedy recoveries for them all.