Beckenham Ladies 0 Harlow Ladies 3
21st February 2010

RFUW South East Eastern Div 2

Harlow ladies fought hard to hold on to the narrowest of margins to win the critical league fixture against Beckenham. The game was played on a pitch which was already very wet in the morning and heavy rain prior to the start of the game and for most of playing time reduced it to a sea of mud. The conditions made open rugby impossible and both sides relied heavily on their forwards to battle for control. If when the ball was passed out players did not have enough grip to make use of their speed and they we usually pulled down having made very little distance. From the kick off Harlow took possession and worked their way up into the Beckenham half from a series of Rucks. The home side had a heavy strong pack and for the time were content to keep the ball tight. They found themselves up against a very committed Harlow scrum who were more than happy to take them on and in all aspects of forward play had the advantage. Several times Harlow were pegged back as a result of conceding penalties on two occasions for collapsing a maul although in fact the difficulty that players had keeping their feet was probably a major factor. The response however were simply had to work their way back up field into the Beckenham territory making good use of the ruck ball. Claire Lacey the Harlow number six was particularly effective crashing in to set up the Rucks and was well supported by the Harlow skipper Kelly Cotterill. In the set scrums the Harlow tight five provided a solid platform allowing hooker Carla Souch to provide clean ball. Millman at scrum-half provided reliable feeds to No.10 Conway who varied her game between individual breaks and feeds to McClellan at centre. Although there were several half breaks it became clear that in these conditions tries were going to be almost impossible. Therefore when Harlow were awarded a penalty about 30 yards out with only a couple of minutes to go to the end of the first half they decided to take a shot at goal and Gizzi put the ball cleanly between the posts for a 3 point lead at the turn around.

In the second half Harlow had the majority of territory and the game continued with the same pattern will forward dominated rugby. They had one opportunity to extend the lead from another penalty but on this occasion the distance was just too much when there wasn’t a firm base from which to kick. In the final 15 minutes the game built up to an exciting climax. Beckenham were awarded a penalty and kicked deep into the Harlow half to set up a line-out on the five metre line. They attempted to drive over from the rolling maul law but were pushed back by Harlow and the ball went to ground with Beckenham awarded a scrum. Harlow held steady and committed tackling stopped there drive from a number eight pick up. At the ensuing ruck Harlow were penalised for coming in from the side giving Beckenham a chance to kick for goal and levelled the score was. They took the wrong decision however and decided to drive for the line but were held out again by ferocious Harlow defence. Harlow continued this close quarter defence for another 8 minutes, putting in crashing tackles to keep Beckenham out. Eventually they managed to achieve a turnover and clear the ball up to the Beckenham 22. From the line out they set up a maul and this time it was Beckenham who were penalised allowing them to kick further up field and relieve the pressure. The closing 3 minutes was a tense battle midfield where Harlow were able to run down the clock and hold out for her very important victory.

This win takes Harlow to the top of the league, but only by the narrowest of margins on points difference. They have 160 to 158 by a second placed Old Albanians. Next Saturday the Ladies are away to near neighbours Hartford in what will be yet another very important encounter. They always enjoy a good support at home and are counting on their regular followers to make the short journey to back them on this occasion.

Penalty: Emily Gizzi

Team 1. Tina Baldwin, 2. Carla Souch, 3. Sam Acraman (sub Sarah Lucas 35), 4. Tracey Lee, 5. Gemma Acraman, 6. Claire Lacey, 7. Emily Gizzi (sub Toni Beard 35), 15. Danielle McKenna, 8 Kelly Cotterill (Capt.), 9. Nikki Millman, 10 Becky Conway (sub Sarah Stimpson 60), 11. Abi Perry, 12. Davina McClellan, 13 Mel Quazi, 14 Emma Hancock, 15. Danielle McKenna Replacements not used: Clare Binned and Kelly Binned

This win takes Harlow to the top of the league, but only by the narrowest of margins on points difference. They have 160 to 158 by a second placed Old Albanians. Next Saturday the Ladies are away to near neighbours Hartford in what will be yet another very important encounter. They always enjoy a good support at home and are counting on their regular followers to make the short journey to back them on this occasion.

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