Ladies 1st XV 43 - 7 Bridgnorth Ladies

A bumper crowd of over 150 people turned out to watch this top of the table match between Stourbridge Ladies and Bridgnorth Ladies. A dark and gloomy November day was when Stourbridge suffered their only defeat of the season narrowly losing 5-0, and on this Sundays’ bright, crisp, sunny afternoon, Stourbridge were looking to avenge this defeat. With both teams having lost only 1 league match each this season, this match would ultimately decide who will go on to win the league.

Stourbridge could not have hoped for a better start to the game. The opponents kick off was safely caught and moved out through the back line. A strong run by Kate Yates made space for Jess Everhurst on the wing, who outsprined the Bridgnorth defence to score in the left hand corner (5-0).

A lost line out and some controlled rucking and mauling saw Bridgnorth reach the Stourbridge 22, but a clearance kick by fly half Caroline Jackson sent play back to halfway. Excellent scrummaging by the Stourbridge pack forced Bridgnorth backwards, as they moved the ball wide, Helen Simonds harrying their centre into knocking the ball on. Hard work by the pack wrestled the ball from a Bridgnorth maul; the forwards setting up quick ruck ball for the back line to move the ball wide. Lucy Evans evaded the defence to go over in the corner and touch down under the posts, Vicky Merrick converted the try (12-0).

Stourbridge were now dominating the match and a repeat of the recent Tewkesbury game look ominous. Stourbridge again got turnover ball from a maul, allowing Caroline Jackson to make a half break with a delightful dummy and side step. From the ensuing ruck, the back line moved the ball wide for Lucy Evans to outpace the defence and score her second try, Vicky Merrick converting the try (19-0).

Bridgnorth fought back to stem the flow of points and an uncharacteristically high penalty count against the home side enabled the visitors to negate the territorial gains of and greater possession of Stourbridge. One more score before half time was needed by Stourbridge to convert this dominance into points. The forward and backs combined with a flowing move where the ball was kept alive through the phases and in particular a series of well timed runs and offloads by Lucy Evans, Wendy, Jackson and Steph Beddall; this saw Jess Everhurst clear on the left wing to score in the corner and ground the ball beneath the posts, converted by Vicky Merrick (26-0).

With the two Stourbridge wingers claiming the first half glory, the Stourbridge pack asserted itself from the start of the second. A strong run by Hayley Slimm took Stour in to the opponents’ territory, another run by Rebecca Jenkinson took the Ladies into the Bridgnorth 22. From a Bridgnorth scrum, a strike against the head gave No.8 Wendy Jackson the opportunity to pick and go from the base of the scrum, breaching the defene with Hayley Slimm in support, who scored under the posts (31-0).

Bridgnorth were not despondent and tried to play a tighter game to restrict ball to the Stourbridge wings. Numerous mistakes and minor infringements from both sides kept play to the centre of the pitch. Good mauling and rucking by Bridgnorth, created gaps in the Stourbridge defence where their full-back burst through a number of tackles and outpaced the covering defence to score (31-7).

The home side reasserted their earlier dominance, but again needless penalties and mistakes ceded hard won territorial gains and a failure to use the telling pace of the Stourbridge wings as in the first half slowed the flow of points.  As Bridgnorth endeavoured to move the ball out of their half the Stourbridge forwards clamped the ball in the tackle and from the ensuing maul, Wendy Jackson wrestled the ball free to escape through the non-existent defence to score form 35 metres out; Vicky Merrick converting.   (38-7)

As the match drew to a close, a dashing 50m run by Barbara Palmieri down the touch line, set up excellent field position, from whence a rolling maul at 15 metres out drove relentlessly forwards for Hayley Slim to score (43-7).

Scorers: Jess Everhurst 2 tries, Lucy Evans 2 tries, Hayley Slimm 2 tries, Wendy Jackson 1 try, Vickie Merrick 4 conversions.