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Magnificent cup final win for Ladies!

Magnificent cup final win for Ladies!

DERECK Wade3 Apr 2017 - 11:46
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Lewes Ladies one of top teams in the country after winning national Junior Cup!

The Lewes Ladies have had an incredible season under their new coaches Owen and Rob, and can’t thank them enough for the blood, sweat and tears they’ve put in this year. The team will take a break from rugby for a couple of weeks before returning to train
- Jess Sutcliffe

The Lewes Ladies made club history on Saturday as they finished their ‘16/’17 season by winning the National Junior Cup in a hard-fought match against Reading Abbey ‘Nuns’.

The day began early, with an 8 o’clock meet at the clubhouse where the Ladies were met with cups of tea and specially made tee-shirts, gifted by the coaching team, to commemorate the occasion. With a long journey ahead, the Ladies boarded the coach along with a small army of supporters and their very own personal photographer (thanks Danny!). A quick pit-stop on the way saw the team get into a spot of bother with the law – only joking but we did get a picture with the police – and they arrived at Royal Wootton Bassett in plenty of time to get warmed up and ready before the big game.

For the final time this season, Josie Nelder started off the game with a looping kick that landed deep within the opposition half. Reading Abbey began their attack but they were met with a wall of blue and white shirts as Lewes moved up into their strong defensive line. The two teams were closely matched, and this soon became a frustration for the Reading Abbey ‘Nuns’ who clearly weren’t used to finding themselves closed down so quickly.

A stumble under pressure gave Lewes possession in Abbey’s half and a chance at an attack from the scrum. The Lewes Ladies advanced, but were soon turned over in a ruck and Abbey got a chance to move play out of their half with a hefty kick. Back on the attack, the Abbey ‘Nuns’ tried to release their 13 but were once again shut down before they had the opportunity to build up momentum and the ball was won back by Lewes. Possession moved quickly between the two teams as both tried, and failed, to find gaps in the others’ defence. A burst of speed on the wing from Lauren Arthur saw Lewes make some ground back into Abbey’s half and the Nuns (and the linesman) had to scramble to reset. Looking dangerous for the first time in the game, Lewes continued to put pressure on the Reading side with a series of forwards balls. Some strong defensive play from Reading Abbey saw Lewes make mistakes, and another kick offered some reprieve as both teams moved back into the centre of the field for a lineout.

Disaster struck for Lewes after twenty minutes of intense play, when winger Sarah ‘Maths’ McCarthy was injured after making a fantastic break through the Reading defence. Play paused as Sarah was stretchered off the pitch with a suspected broken arm (later confirmed as a break). Reading Abbey recovered from the break in the game quicker than Lewes did, and the Sussex side struggled to regain control of the game.

No points were scored in the next 15 minutes, but in the final play of the first half Lewes found an extra gear and ramped up the pressure. A fantastic carry from hooker Pip Young took the team back into the Reading half, and the Nuns struggled to defend as Lauren found some space on the wing again. The half time whistle blew as Lauren was barrelled into touch.

Lewes’ half time chat was a positive one, with both Owen Jones and Rob Williams had good things to say about the way Lewes had played so far. A smiling and confident Lewes side prepared to receive Abbey’s kick-off to start off the second half.

‘Irish’ Sam Monaghan caught the ball and ran through the defensive line and up into Abbey’s half. The change in pace from the Lewes side was immediately recognisable and the excitement from the sidelines was palpable.

However, things didn’t go quite as planned for the Sussex team who soon found themselves defending on their 22. After an attempt to get themselves to safety went awry, Lewes were pushed back to their own try line. A tactical decision to break the stalemate saw Reading Abbey take the penalty kick and Lewes went down 0-3.

For many teams, conceding points at this late stage of the game would mean their heads went down. For Lewes, going three points down just added fuel to the fire. With steely determination the Ladies kicked back into the Abbey half and went on the chase. Josie’s kick found a gap in the defence and Lewes made significant ground with a lineout in Abbey’s fifteen metre.

Reading Abbey struggled to defend against Lewes’ intensity and it wasn’t long before Lauren Arthur saw the opportunity on the wing to get over the try line. Scooping up the ball she fought off the remaining Abbey defenders and grounded the ball over the line. The try was disallowed as the ref’s whistle blew for a knock-on as Lauren picked up the ball.

A Reading Abbey scrum deep within their half was a chance for the Berkshire team to relieve the pressure, but Lewes were hungry for the try. Winning the ball from a lineout, the Ladies pushed up in attack – using their strong forward pods to penetrate the defence. A quick spot from ‘Irish’ Sam saw the ball get shipped onto the blind, and Lewes got over the line for the second time. Again, no points were scored as the try was held up.

This time it was Lewes’ turn for a scrum deep into the Reading half. This time it was Lewes’ turn for points on the board. A cleanly shipped ball flew through the hands of the backs and fullback Nicola Minchell looped round to put the ball down over the line for a Lewes lead: 5-3.

The Lewes Ladies were in the lead with ten minutes to defend the National Junior Cup winners title. They had to defend it too, as Reading Abbey were not ready to admit defeat. Some panicked play from Lewes saw them defending deep in their own territory again.

As they have all season, Lewes were able to hold up a strong defence and slowly began to push Reading Abbey back up the pitch. Quick reactions from Lewes’ inside centre Rosie Neal who found a gap in the defensive line. Rosie put the ball down directly beneath the posts and made it easy for Josie Nelder to convert. It also secured Lewes’ victory: 12-3.

With only a few minutes on the clock, Lewes slowed play down as much as possible – determined not to concede any more points. The final whistle blew as the ball was kicked into touch and the Lewes Ladies were met with a crowd of supporters storming onto the pitch to celebrate their Cup Final win.

The Lewes Ladies have had an incredible season under their new coaches Owen and Rob, and can’t thank them enough for the blood, sweat and tears they’ve put in this year. The team will take a break from rugby for a couple of weeks before returning to training for sevens season.

Sarah ‘Maths’ McCarthy had an operation on her broken arm on Sunday and is excited to return to Sussex after an overnight stay in Swindon. Thank you to everyone who has asked about her over the past few days.

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