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East Grinstead 0
Harlow 20
(8th November 2009)
RFUW South East Eastern
Div 2
Harlow Ladies recorded their fourth win in succession on Sunday in a hard
fought game against East Grinstead. The game was played on a very wet and
greasy pitch which to some extent neutralised the pace of the Harlow backs.
Nevertheless the Harlow pack worked hard against strong opposition
throughout the game and secure had a good share of the possession. The
backs, making the best of the conditions, continued to run attacks at the
home side and when the gaps came exploited them to consolidate an important
win.
From the start Harlow took play deep into the East Grinstead half and for
several minutes it was very much a contest between the forwards. Eventually
they did manage to move the ball wide and recycled from two tackles before
Sarah Stimpson cut through to touch down giving Harlow a 5 point lead. For
most of the remaining first half Harlow forwards contested strongly and
provided Millman the scrum half with plenty of good possession. The Harlow
backs ran the ball at every opportunity but strong tackling by the East
Grinstead centres broke most of the moves down before they could break
clear. Just before halftime Harlow attacked on the narrow side of the ruck,
recycling the ball well in the tackle. The final pass was taken by a Harlow
fly half Conway at pace and she run in the corner for the second Harlow try,
making the score 10 - 0 at halftime.
The early part of the second half continued as a forward battle with Harlow
driving the ball into the opposition. Harlow Captain Kelly Cotterill playing
at number eight put in a number of big hits as did both Harlow props, Sarah
Lucas and Tina Baldwin. Recognizing that it was going to be difficult to
break through in the centre and that the most likely way that East Grinstead
could score would be in the forward drives Harlow opted to peg them back
into their own half and half powerful kicking, particularly by Conway and
Stimpson tested their fullback and provided the Harlow wings as with plenty
to chase. Harlow extended the lead when Stimpson finally found a gap and
broke clear, two of the home backs chased a down but she had too much pace
and made the line quite easily. The conversion missed, largely as a result
of the slippery surface makings accurate kicking very difficult. East
Grinstead had the best scoring opportunity of the afternoon and they
intercepted the ball in their own 22 and one of their centres sprinted
downfield. She made over sixty yards but a superb sprint by Conway overtook
her and brought her down with a powerful tackle. In the closing stages of
the game Harlow maintained the pressure against a side who were showing
signs of tiredness and in the last minute to Abbi Perry on the wing who saw
a small gap and sprinted through for the final try.
This result leaves Harlow in third place in the league
with a game in hand over second placed Beckenham. They have a two week gap
before they meet Old Albanians II at home. They are fifth with a
geme in hand over Harlow so it could be another tough
match.
Tries: Stimpson (2), Conway, Perry
Team: 1. Tina Baldwin, 2 Carla Souch, 3 Sarah Lucas, 4. Paulette Tovy (Sub
Sam Acraman 45), 5 Tracey Lee, 6. Stevie Doherty, 7 Emily Gizzi, 8 Kelly
Cotterill, (captain), 9.Nicky Millman , 10. Rebecca Conway, 11. Abi
Parry.12. Davina McLellan, 13. Dani McKenna, 14. Toni Beard, 15. Sarah
Stimpson
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This photo is from the 2009/10 season
This photo is owned by:
Dave Sharp
This photo shows:
Ladies XV
Muddy Nikki makes a break
The opposition were:
Beckenham
This photo is from the 2009/10 season
This photo is owned by:
Dave Sharp
This photo shows:
Ladies XV
On the charge
The opposition were:
Canterbury
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