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Ladies through to the cup semi-finals

Ladies through to the cup semi-finals

Pip Young20 Feb 2017 - 13:44
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A match report of round 5 of the cup away to Wellingborough. FT 26-0. By Jess Sutcliffe

The Lewes Ladies fought their way to the semi-finals of the Junior Cup this weekend in a substantial victory against Wellingborough’s ladies team in Northamptonshire. The 0-26 victory sees Lewes advance into the final four teams in the country, and earn their first home cup fixture after five away games.

Lewes’ confidence was clear from the kick-off and, as they advanced into Wellingborough’s half it was obvious that the home team were nervous. A quick spill from them gave Lewes the first scrum of the game, deep in the Wellingborough half. Lewes weren’t prepared for the strength that the larger side would bring, and the ball was lost just as quickly as it had been gained.

However Lewes were still the dominant team, and their defence that had been so successful in Guernsey worked again for this forward-heavy side. With no slicker moves than the old pick-and-go, Wellingborough found themselves moving backwards as they tried to advance.

Another knock-on gave Lewes another chance to gain the upper-hand in the scrum and the ball was won. It went swiftly through the hands of the backs and was placed behind the line by winger Sarah ‘Maths’ McCarthy. 0-7 to Lewes.

As Lewes eased into the comfort of their game plan, Wellingborough looked less and less like a threat. Despite making enthusiastic use of hand-offs and with a great determination to stay in the game, the home side were unable to get past Lewes’ defensive line and make any difference to the score line.

The next Lewes try came from a penalty on the 10-metre line, taken quickly by fly-half Josie Nelder who was tackled inches from the line. Great support from scrumhalf Grace Darling allowed a quick offload from Nelder and Grace finished the try beneath the posts for an easy conversion. Lewes were in the lead: 0-14.

Lewes’ pace picked up again as they caught the ball from Wellingborough’s restart and charged back on the attack. The Sussex side were getting tired however, playing a much larger and more aggressive team was taking its toll and Wellingborough were having increasing levels of success in turning over rucks, and forcing knock-ons in tackles. Back on the defence, Lewes’ continued to make the big hits where it mattered, and back-of-the-match Abi Radford put in tackle after tackle on Wellingborough’s substantial forwards: keeping their attack at bay.

A spill from the defending team called half time, and Lewes were given a chance to recover and be re-inspired by their coach during the break.

With Lewes making use of their subs bench, the team that restarted the game looked refreshed and re-energised (and far too clean). It wasn’t long before the extra energy was making a difference, as Lewes looked stronger in every aspect of their play. Now facing downhill and with the wind on their side, the Sussex side dominated again: driving into Wellingborough’s defence and making ground.

Wellingborough weren’t accepting defeat, and they seemed to have sharpened their game. It wasn’t enough to give Lewes any trouble however, and the Lewes Ladies soon secured their victory with another try from fullback Nicola Minchell which was converted again by Josie Nelder: 0-21 to Lewes Ladies.

The last hurrah for Lewes came in the form of a blindside ball from the back of a ruck, into the hands of Captain and flanker Sophie Williams who stormed through the defence to score on the wing. A well deserved forwards try from a side who’d truly put their bodies on the line to win this game. 0-26 FT to Lewes Ladies.

Although Wellingborough were by far the bigger side, Lewes never allowed them to get involved in the game. Lewes’ determination and confidence allowed them to gain the upper hand from the off and their superior handling, pace and strategy meant that they dominated throughout.

The Wellingborough ladies were fantastic hosts, with special effort going into the post-match pints. Forward-of-the-match Hannah Ross was given a special mention by Wellingborough’s sideline support for being outstanding on the pitch, and coach Owen Jones denied Lewes the monopoly on victories by losing the boat race. All in all the quarter-final clash was fantastic, good-spirited game which sets the Lewes Ladies up with the winning momentum they’ll need to conquer Medway at home next weekend.

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