Lewes braved the icy cold on Sunday to play Beckenham IIs in the second round of the Junior Cup. A few knocks and injuries from their last game against Canterbury saw a very different starting team for Lewes, with many new players getting their first taste of the mud.

The game started with a Lewes kick, and the Ladies immediately dominated: flooding into Beckenham’s half to try to regain possession. They did, and with some superb work from inside centre Becky Ford Lewes looked like they might be about to score.

It wasn’t quite that easy however. Beckenham had the upper-hand in the rucks and regained possession right on their own try line. A smart kick relieved the pressure and it wasn’t long before Lewes was forced to defend. Lewes Ladies didn’t recover well and Beckenham scored their first try under the posts with little resistance from the Blue’s defensive line. It was beautifully converted to make the score 7-0.

Lewes struggled to gain possession at the restart, and Beckenham’s strong attack and fearsome scrums put continued pressure on Lewes’ defensive line. Brief periods of Lewes attack were overturned quickly by the home side and the Ladies’ frustration was clear. Before long, a kick by flyhalf Josie Nelder was scooped up by Beckenham’s fullback who ran the full-length of the pitch unimpeded to score their second try of the game. 12-0.

The Lewes Ladies haven’t found themselves in a losing position for some time. Two tries down their hopes of defending their unbeaten record were dwindling. With minutes to go in the first half, this was Lewes’ first real test of the season: could they fight their way back into the lead?

Beckenham’s second try lit a fire under Lewes, who lined up for the re-start with a new-found determination. Knowing that the re-start signalled the last play of the half, Lewes Ladies put their trust in their forwards who moved the ball steadily up the pitch, protecting the ball from Beckenham hands. Some exceptional decision making from Josie Nelder bought the ball out to the backs at just the right time: Grace Darling sprinted down the right-hand wing to score a Lewes try. Half-time: 12-5.

Half time gave the Lewes Ladies a chance to re-assess their game plan, and coach Owen Jones’ motivational half-time talk (never complete without a few expletives!) helped the team to finally get their heads in the game.

Despite not making any substitutions, the Lewes team beginning the second half looked like a completely different side. Hungry for the win, they scooped up the Beckenham kick and stormed into the attack. Hit against hit rained down on the home defence: pushing Lewes ever closer to the try line and a chance to equalise. Beckenham put up a tough fight but they were no match for this team and a spectacular dummy from Josie Nelder soon saw her sidestep round the defence to score a try between the posts. Converting her own try, Josie levelled the playing field: 12:12.

With everything to play for, both teams upped their game for the last twenty minutes of the match. The teams were equal and continued to challenge each other: taking advantage of every mistake. With ten minutes to go, Lewes received a penalty in the 22 and decided to kick for the points. A win hung in the balance as Josie Nelder readied herself for the kick. The ball sailed through the posts: 12-15 to the Lewes Ladies.

The final ten minutes of rugby were hard fought, with ramping tension as Lewes tried to defend their narrow lead. Supporters yelled, shouted and screamed as both teams tore into each other trying to secure their win - another try from either side would finish the game in their favour. No tries came. The final whistle blew and a jubilant Lewes celebrated their 9th continuous win.

Although this game was won within the backs, Lewes Ladies’ forwards played some exceptional rugby. They fronted up and put in the hard hits that really mattered – pressuring Beckenham into making the mistakes which lost them the game. Coming back from a 12-0 score line is just another example of Lewes’ strength this season. They go into their next league match against Guernsey this weekend knowing that they are capable of securing their 10th win of the season.