Match Reports

Ladies 37 v 10 Worcester 2nds

 Icons who indulged on Worcester Sauce

For their first home game of the season the ladies were greeted with some unfamiliar sights. Firstly, there were no crutches on display, secondly, there was no sign of Culture secretary Mick Hibbert, but on the positive side captain Whiplash was in charge on the field instead of from touchline. There were several new faces including a clutch of Keele ladies who were to play important roles during the course of the game. To maintain balance though there were the old faces of previous years- the Vet, Fletch, Little Laura, Roo, and in the second row Ange and Kelly aka Belch and the Beer Monster. Ange of course was being assessed by Biff who was always prepared to advise though Ange made good use of her scrum cap to completely drown out Biff’s pleadings.

Longton played down the slope in the first half and spent a majority of the time in their opponent’s territory. Their strength was in controlled rucking which was to give them a big advantage throughout the game. After an uneventful first quarter, Longton took the lead when student Myfanwy in the centre received the ball on the Worcester 22 and started to meander in a sideways direction towards the warmth of the clubhouse, which was much needed in the face of a fierce wind. This movement was clearly planned as the freezing cold defence thought they could do with some shelter and began to follow her. However, the Welsh wizard increased her pace, straightened her line and scored in the corner.

This try was soon followed by another as fellow centre Aimee burst through some weak tackling and outran the cover to score. Myfanwy missed both difficult kicks but a half time lead of 10-0 was richly deserved. There was one scare immediately following the second try when the ladies traditional inability to deal with restarts allowed the visiting number 12 to pick up the bouncing ball and cross the try line. Unbelievably she failed to score as by trying to get under the posts she allowed herself to be forced over the dead ball line.

Worcester began the second half looking more threatening but as they attacked on the Longton 10 metre line, Ange intercepted a loose pass and set off pursued by the diminutive Worcester full back in a scene which resembled a hamster chasing a shire horse. The shire horse of course scored whilst her groom Biff, tried to recall the last time he ran 60 metres which is just about his total career yardage!

Worcester fought back with a try of their own and looked like they were going to make the contest much closer. It was here that Fletch made her most telling contribution, feigning a loss of a contact lens, which allowed her team a 10-minute rest to recharge their batteries. From here on though the ladies began to dominate in all areas with Aimee scoring her second try and Myfanwy her second….and third……..and fourth! One was converted and followed by excited shrieks from the ladies, not because of a successful kick but due to the arrival of Mick Wheat on the touchline. Worcester to their credit never gave up and their left winger scored a try in the corner to make the final score 37-10.

Post match Fletch was awarded man of the match for her all round display of ball carrying and some crunching tackles. There were other big plusses notably the centre partnership of Aimee and Myfanwy, the all round coverage and harassment of the opposition by Forrest at number 7 and the work of Kelly the beer Monster in the second row, a great step up from her early days as a winger. If Fletch’s effort to down her man of the match pint is anything to go by, Kelly will have to be nominated every week.

A final word- well done Alan Wain, a referee who allowed players and spectators to enjoy the game.