Bracknell Ladies Vs Haringey Ladies 10/11/2019

The Ladies knew they had a tough game ahead of them as they hosted the Haringey Ladies who are top of the table. They lined up for a 2 minutes silence ahead of the game for remembrance Sunday.

Bracknell had won the toss and were kicking to their opposition. Zara King gave Bracknell the opportunity to apply pressure to the visitors by putting the ball high and just outside the 22. Feeling the pressure Haringey returned the ball into the Bracknell half with a kick which was safely collected by fly-half, Zara. Bracknell knew they had to work to push back into an attacking position.

With strong carries and crash balls from Esmee Sturges, Alice Whitbread and Zoe Young the ball eventually found its way back to Zara who cleared the ball. After slipping through Bracknell’s defence, a fumble from Haringey lead to the first scrum of the game. A quick ball out the back allowed Bracknell’s Tori Collins to show her strength with a strong carry finally being taken down by two players of the opposing team.
After strenuous play from both sides and countless scrums, Haringey were the first to get over the whitewash. Bracknell did not let this get them down, as they came back playing their game, using the strengths of their forwards, with the likes of Jess Biggs and Chloe Budd, and the pace and skill of their backs, using Joy Westlake and Rachel Rickett. The continuous effort from Bracknell was finally rewarded after Joy dotted the ball down for a try just inside the touch line.

Half Time Score: 5-7

Bracknell knew they had to work to get ahead of Haringey as they set up to receive the kick restarting the game. The ball landed in the hands of Zara who cleared the ball which allowed Es to put the pressure on as she marched Haringey back into their own half.

The ball, coming back into Bracknell’s hands the opposition cleared it from their own half with a kick, bounced into the hands of Joy who showed her pace and strength handing off not one, but three defending players whilst gaining ground for her team. With the opposition making strong carries the ladies had to make some big hits.

Great defensive work from players like Sasha Henly, who was making her debut for the team, and seasoned players such as Steph Silitto kept Haringey on their toes. Even with the relentless defence from Bracknell Haringey managed to get through to add more points to their score. Keeping their heads up Bracknell went back at it as if it was still nil-nil.

With a quick restart of the game Haringey were again put under pressure as Shiv Jamieson charged up and pushing the ball carrier back further into their own half. Haringey send the ball to their backs who manage to break through the line until being driven out into touch by Steph. Even with their effective work in defence, the opposition found a gap in the defence and managed to get the ball over the line for their third and final try of the game.

The ladies held their heads up and carried on fighting to put points on the board. After being awarded a penalty, the ball was kicked into touch for a lineout in Bracknell’s favour. With a quick ball into the hands of Courtney Simmonds the ball is put into the hands of Zara at the back of a maul which breaks off to gain more and more ground for the ladies leading to another penalty after the opposition collapse the maul. The ladies set up for the penalty, with encouragement from her team mates and using her power Shiv Jamieson breaks through the defence to get the final try of the game.

Full Time Score: 10-19

A few words from our Captain: “We may not have got the win today but I hope you are all holding your heads high because you played amazingly today. We fought so hard in defence demonstrating what we can do as a team and in attack our hands were quick and precise and our carries strong. We had a lot of changes, players out of position but you all stuck with it and put 100% effort in. I’m so proud of you all. Bring on next week!”

Forward of the Match: Esmee for her strong carries, making meters and strong support work in the rucks.
Back of the Match: Tori made some great runs, made some great tackles and was totally fearless.

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