Bracknell Ladies Vs Barnes 2XV 02/12/2018

On the 2nd December the time had come for Bracknell Ladies to host their first home game of the season! There had been a long wait for this and the girls were keen to put on a great match for the supporters to be proud of. This game was sure to be an exciting one as it was to be a top of the table clash Vs Barnes 2XV, with Bracknell Ladies sitting in first place before the match began.

A high ball from kick off lead to the hands of a Barnes 2XV player who carried well into the defensive line of Bracknell. The girls pushed hard to get the ball turned over and soon blitz defence from Leanne Smith and Rachel Rickett resulted in the ball finding Bracknell’s hands. The ball soon got out to Joy Westlake who scored in the corner thanks to her fast feet.

A low rumbling ball landed at Amanda Cooper’s feet who carried fast and hard up the pitch towards the white wash. The offload was on to Shiv Jamieson who again powered through the line to make more metres in Bracknell’s favour. Scrum half and Captain passed a quick ball from the ruck to Zoe Young who despite had space in front of her completed a missed pass to Joy to get her second try of the game with the score now 10-0 to Bracknell Ladies.

Throughout the game forwards carried the ball well with great offloads coming from Lauren Clark, who had a great first game at flanker and massive tackles from Alice & Amelia Whitbread. The backs also had a strong game running through set plays and reacting quickly. Throughout the game Mia McCreesh kicked up the pitch to gain more ground and put Barnes 2XV under pressure. Great support running from Lorraine Bobb and Kirsty Robson allowed for set plays to run smoothly.

The next try was to come from Leanne Smith, who had a cracking game at number 10. The try was set up by the dangerous duo Mia and Joy before finding the hands of Leanne to make the score 17-0 thanks to a successful conversion by Joy.

Another rolling ball from Barnes 2XV led to Shiv who notoriously carried the ball strong and hard through players. As the ball landed in her hands she powered up the pitch with great support from the two Whitbread’s the ball was soon passed the half way line. Another quick ball from Hannah pushed the ball through the backs hands before Mia got a try of her own right under the post after fending off Barnes players along the way, with Joy taking another successful conversion.

Half time score 24-0 to Bracknell Ladies.

As the half time whistle blew Barnes 2XV were ready to put up a fight. They pressed quickly from kick off which resulted in a scrum in their favour. Throughout the match the scrums were a fierce contest and despite Bracknell’s attempt they couldn’t turn this one over. Barnes number 9 got the ball from the scrum and got passed Bracknell’s back line to make the score 24-5 only a few minutes into the second half.

The game consisted of big tackles throughout from both sides and was an exciting game to watch. A turn over ball in Bracknell’s favour allow Tash King to power along the wing before offloading the ball to winger, Kirsty, who got the ball over the line thanks to her great support.

Soon the ball was in the hand of Alice Whitbread who passed the ball through the hands before a Barnes player managed to steal the ball and get their second try of the match. The score was now 29-12 following a successful kick.

With only a few minutes to go Bracknell put all of their energy into working their way up towards the try line. The ball soon found the hands of fullback and speedster Lorraine, who showed her pace and quick feet as she danced round the Barnes defence line before getting the ball over the whitewash for the final time this match.

Final score Bracknell 34-12 Barnes 2XV

A few words from our captain, Hannah Taylor; “Each game we get stronger and stronger. The team played with such passion today that nothing was going to get in the way of the win. There was hard hits, great kicks and clear game play, well done ladies. So proud of you all”

Forward of the Match: Alice Whitbread for peeling quickly off the scrum, reacting well to drop calls and carrying well!

Back of the Match: Mia McCreesh for excellent cross field kicks, strong running and great tackles!

Proudly sponsored by David Cliff, Bracknell Personnel Services and THH Scaffolding Services