Middlesex Rugby
Middlesex Girls U15s
U 15s make a promising start
Eastern Counties 10 Middlesex 46
Sunday 21st October saw the Middlesex U15s girl’s squad travel to Ely for their first county fixture, against Eastern Counties.
From the kick-off, Middlesex stamped their authority upon the game, attacking the gaps in the Eastern Counties defensive line. They were soon rewarded as second row Hannah Wells made a storming run up the blind side, beating two defenders to go over the line to score.
Eastern Counties countered with some strong attacking play, but the Middlesex dominance of the breakdown allowed them to win turnover ball, and the quick transition from defence to attack saw centre, Siobhan Langdon-Hughes run the length of the field to score, converted by fly-half Cathy Bell. From the restart, Eastern Counties failed to set their defensive line, and a clever kick forced them on the back foot deep in their own 22 – and saw Langdon-Hughes cross the line for her second try.
Eastern Counties again pushed forward, and some spirited running resulted in a score just prior to the half-time break. Half-time score: Eastern Counties 5 – Middlesex 17.
Middlesex started the second half just as strongly as they had the first, and some inspired footwork by newly capped player Disha Patel, saw her beat two defenders and score on her county debut. This was soon followed by another debutante try as Marissa Lowe powered her way through the EC backs, breaking clear to score under the posts.
Again Eastern Counties rallied, and made good use of the quick ruck ball to gain territory. However they were turned over at the breakdown, fly-half Bell gathered her own clearance kick, ran through several defenders to touch down – and then converted her own try for good measure. Within minutes, Bell was off again on another fine solo effort, scattering the EC defensive line, and was rewarded with another converted try.
In the dying minutes of the game, Eastern Counties once again responded strongly, making effective use of the ruck to gain ground. Middlesex found themselves repeatedly offside, giving away a series of penalties. A final quick tap penalty whilst Middlesex were retreating allowed them to penetrate through to score. Final Score: Eastern Counties 10 – Middlesex 46
Squad: Catherine Bell (Harlequins), Flora Black (Grasshoppers), Jessamy Bloom (Ealing Emeralds), Gaby Browne (Grasshoppers), Lucy Chesson (Northolt), Karendeep Gill (Grasshoppers), Zoë Hill (Harlequins), Thulani Kimbugwe (Grasshoppers), Kerry Lamont (Harlequins), Siobhan Longdon-Hughes (Grasshoppers), Marissa Lowe (Ealing Emeralds), Hannah Marr (Ealing Emeralds), Rosie Parr (Harlequins), Disha Patel (Ealing Emeralds), Hannah Wells (Northolt), Avril Wildridge (Ealing Emeralds), Lauren Yerby (Harlequins) Helen Young (Ealing Emeralds).(TW)
