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Match report: SCRFC Ladies vs Havant Ladies

Match report: SCRFC Ladies vs Havant Ladies

Millie Ross26 Feb 2020 - 20:51
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A rusty Streatham ladies score a losing bonus point on the road, against a powerful Havant pack.

The start of 2020 has been disjointed for the Streatham ladies - with one league game being rearranged twice due to weather, one walkover and only one league game played against the bottom team, there had been little in the way of tough competitive matches since early December. Havant, sitting top of the league, were ready to welcome the South London visitors with open arms.

The game started fractiously, with Streatham giving away an offside penalty from the kick off, with Havant being supported by an aggressive wind for the first half. Their comfort on their plastic pitch was evident, and after ten minutes relentless pressure on the Streatham defence they found space in the outside channel to score in the corner. Streatham weren't going to go down fighting though and came back hard, battling against the wind but struggling to exit successfully, leading to a second Havant score.

The Streatham backs were firing on all cylinders however, and eventually Helena Solomon fixed the defence to put try magnet Amy 'Baby Rhino' Allen into space, who flew 70 metres down field, which was ably converted by Ana O'Connor bringing the half time score to 12-7 to the hosts.

Despite having a slightly lesser wind in the second half, the Havant pack dominated, disrupting the Streatham scrum and lineout and ensuring that the backs didn't have the ball to play with the pace they wanted. Having performed consistently throughout the game by matching the Havant power with that of her own, Mel Laidlaw-Andersen eventually converted Streatham attacking pressure into points in the second half, however it wasn't enough. Havant's two second half scores brought the full time score to 24-12.

However, the end of the game saw huge amounts of determination from the Streatham side and they were able to both deny Havant the try bonus point and ensure they secured a losing bonus of their own.

Next week, the ladies play in their last home league game of the season against a long-travelling Guernsey Raiders. There is a point to prove, having lost 15-10 when visiting them, so a supportive crowd would be gratefully received.

Forward of the match: Mel Laidlaw-Andersen
Back of the match: Alicia Wyke
Scorers: Amy Allen (1T), Mel Laidlaw-Andersen (1T), Ana O'Connor (1C)

Photo credit Mark Woodward Photography

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