Lewes Ladies 1st XV ran out to defend their (very muddy) home turf on Sunday in their first game of 2018 against the ‘Pink Ladies’ Tonbridge Juddians. With only a few training sessions under their belts, the Ladies were visibly nervous as they kicked off toward their clubhouse.

See Danny Simpson's pictures of the game here>>

Tonbridge could sense Lewes’ unease, and took full advantage, using their physicality to drive up the pitch. Their quick offloads meant the Lewes Ladies struggled to catch up as they moved backwards into their own half. Although they put in some strong tackles, the Kent side were clearly dominant and fought hard to win yards with every take.

A first attempt over the line was quashed by the Sussex defence, but on the second attempt the ball was grounded for the first score of the game. Confidently converted, the score was 0-7.

Still on the defence, Lewes began to fight back and forcing TJ’s into mistakes. A Tonbridge knock-on gave the home team a chance at possession but the ball was turned over easily in the ruck. Tonbridge found a gap in Lewes’ defence and broke through the line, but was eventually stopped with a solid tackle from scrum-half Grace Darling. The following Lewes line-out was lost, and Tonbridge were again on Lewes’ 10m.

A valiant effort from prop Sam Williams saw the ball turned over in a tackle and a break through Tonbridge’s defensive line for the first time in the game, Unfortunately, Lewes’ slow reactions meant that Williams was stranded with no support, and the ball returned to Kent hands.

It seemed as if the Lewes Ladies were beginning to wake up into the game and increase their pressure against the away side, but they were still visibly on the back foot, and unprepared for Tonbridge’s physicality. Lewes once again found themselves defending on their line after giving away a penalty on their 10m. A strong shift from the Lewes defence saw them keep Tonbridge away from the line for five or six phases, but left their wing vulnerable. This was eventually spotted by the attacking team who made it over the line for their second score. Converted again, Tonbridge Juddians were increased their lead to 0-14.

A few injuries disrupted the end of the first half, with Sam Williams being led off the pitch with a head injury, and Sarah ‘Smash’ Nash coming off with a shoulder injury. Further substitutions supplied the Lewes Ladies with fresh legs which had an immediate effect.

The last ten minutes of the first half saw Tonbridge on the defence for the first time in the game – suddenly looking tired in comparison to the Lewes Ladies.

A stern talking to at half time fired the home team up, and the kick-off saw a changed Lewes side advance into Tonbridge’s half – on the attack at last.

It didn’t take long before Lewes began to find chinks in the TJ’s armour. Darling made ground in a huge run up the right wing before being tackled off the pitch, and the team used her momentum to continue the pressure after the line out.

It wasn’t long before Charli Evans gained possession from a Tonbridge kick, and outpaced the opposition as she ran up in attack – only stopped by a high tackle. The resulting penalty gave Lewes their first real chance of the game, which Caitlin Flower took, diving forward to touch the ball down just over the line. The Lewes Ladies finally had points on the board: 5-14.

Within minutes, another opportunity saw ‘Chip’ Chippett place the ball over the line, only to be bought back for a forward pass. Not to be defeated, Lewes regained possession from the scrum and sent the ball wide, with winger Lauren Arthur dodging past multiple defenders and over the line: 10-14.

An alarmed Tonbridge side were now the ones struggling to keep up as the Lewes backline, under fly-half Bethan Alexander, made use of gap after gap in their defence. A Tonbridge yellow card given for a high tackle gave Lewes the upper hand.

A truly beautiful passage of play saw Arthur break through the defence supported by Evans, and then Chippett before Becky Ford made it over the line to put Lewes in the lead: 15-14.

The Lewes Ladies, with calm confidence, continued their dominance even when Tonbridge returned to 15 players and Caitlin Flower made it over the line for the second time to (seemingly) secure Lewes’ lead: 20-14.

The Tonbridge Juddians weren’t willing to roll over, and came back fighting after their kick-off, forcing a knock-on deep within Lewes’ half. Back on the defence, Lewes kept Tonbridge out of their 10m until a second yellow card, this time for Lewes, saw the home side defending on their own line with seconds until the final whistle.

Phase after phase of Tonbridge attack was battered back by Lewes’ defence, but once again, this drew in defenders leaving the Lewes Ladies vulnerable on the wing. Spotting their advantage, TJ’s finally made it over the line in the bottom right corner of the pitch: 20-19.

The supporters, the coaches, both teams, and the referee all watched with baited breath as the Tonbridge 10 prepared for her conversion: success would mean a TJ win, and failure would give the victory to the home team. Fortunately (for Lewes), the kick missed and the final whistle blew. FT score 20-19 to Lewes Ladies.

Shortly after the end of the game, Lewes were given another reason to celebrate with the good news coming through that the Ladies’ 2nd XV had won 26-5 in their away fixture to Cranbrook.

As it stands, the 1sts are sitting comfortably in the middle of the table in their new league: SE Championship 2, and the 2nds are enjoying top spot after an incredibly successful first season. Both teams have exciting times ahead in 2018 as they work to secure these positions in the second half of the season.