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Everyone
was in high spirits before the game this week against Taunton. Our
last meeting had proved a close one, but Taunton has ousted us in
the end to gain a 15-10 victory, so we had a point to prove. We
were also feeling confident after an improved effort against Redruth
the week before. We were starting to fine-tune some of our early
season mistakes and our defense, handling and support had been awesome.
The game
started well for Mary’s and they came out confident and aggressive.
We spent the first five minutes breathing down their try line and
were rewarded with an early try by our mighty (non tackleable (if
that’s even a word!)) number eight, Rachel. She showed great
foot control with the ball at the back of the scrum and then powered
her way over the line (with a couple of opposition players hanging
on for dear life!) to put our first 5 points on the board.
We capitalized
on our heightened self-belief and followed shortly after with another
forward’s try. Number 7, Emma, looped and supported well as
the ball was passed out of a ruck to our fly-half, L J. L J almost
made it over the line herself, but was held up by the sheer determination
of Taunton’s backs not to let us score again. She managed
a sweet short pop into Emma’s hands as she hit the deck in
a tackle, and Emma surged across the line to give us our second
try. Sammy converted this to give us a 12-0 lead (and who said that
girls couldn't kick!!!).
The rest
of the second half was played out with both teams giving it 100%.
The game flowed well and few mistakes were made, with the ball remaining
mainly in the middle half of the pitch (which was quite frustrating
for those of us stuck out on the wing! Come on girls, give us some
ball!!!). With neither team managing to capitalize on their efforts
the score remained the same until the half-time whistle was blown.
Taunton had
obviously had a bit of a pep talk at half-time as they came back
out onto the pitch with renewed enthusiasm. For the first 10 minutes
of the second half they were in Mary’s 22 and threatening
to score. To our horror they were awarded a penalty about a metre
out from the try line. This was a make or break moment for Taunton.
If they scored it would only put them one try behind and would change
the whole dynamics of the game. Mary’s would loose a secure
lead and it would give Taunton the psychological boost they needed
to possibly turn the game around. Luckily, Mary’s defense
had proved solid of late, and we didn't disappoint on this occasion.
With great pressure from the whole team we held our line and forced
a knock on, giving us the put in on a scrum just in front of the
try-line. I think we’d been holding our breath (and bowels)
for the last 10 minutes and could eventually let out a sigh of relief.
We cleared the ball and slowly pushed our way back down the pitch
into the opposition’s half.
The last
20 minutes showed some stunning play from the home team. Winger,
Naz, performed a try saving one-on-one tackle against a Taunton
player as she moved blind-side off the ruck (alright, it probably
wasn’t that great, but I have to give myself some credit!!!)
which led to the forwards stealing and securing the ball for Mary’s.
What followed was a complete team effort with the ball passing through
nearly everyone’s hands to the opposite side of the pitch.
The ball moved well along the back line and LJ looped around the
centres, received the ball, found space in the opposition’s
back line and nipped through the gap to score our third try (easy
as that, eh girls!).
Another
try followed soon after with Gabi (who had just moved from the wing
to full-back) breaking through their defence in our own 22 and having
to run the whole length of the pitch with their full-back on her
heels. In our general supportive manner we all left her to do the
hard work and shouted encouragement from our own half. We know once
her little legs are spinning so quickly they become a blur, we can
usually be confident she’ll make it to the try-line (and don’t
want to embarrass ourselves by not being able to keep up!). Sammy
converted the try to give us a full time score of 24-0. It was a
fantastic team effort, with everyone playing to their full potential.
Written by
Susannah ' Naz' Thunhurst
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