Stamford Rugby Club’s women’s team triumph against Mansfield
After a hiatus of more than two months without a competitive match, Stamford Women returned to play at home with an awe-inspiring performance against a rejuvenated and youthful Mansfield Women's side in the quarter final of the NLD Women’s Cup.
Both teams started the match very sprightly with forages into each other's halves which were only stopped by resolute defensive lines from both sides.
The initial deadlock was broken when fleet-footed Jorja Matchwick scored the first of her five tries of the match.
From the halfway line, Matchwick seemed to dance around the Mansfield defence and eventually scored in the corner.
Her second try came very quickly afterwards when she charged over the line and placed the ball between the posts and it was duly converted by Daisy Attley.
Mansfield regrouped and started to put pressure on the Stamford defence and were eventually rewarded with a well-executed push over try between the posts.
Stamford seemed to be remotivated after conceding the try and started to make scavenging runs into the away half of the field.
These runs paid off when the next try came from a home scrum 10 metres out from the away tryline. The ball was fed to fly half Poppy Murray who, supported by her sister Jasmine, ran straight towards and under the posts. Attley converted the try.
In the first half, Stamford seemed not to let their foot off the gas and there were a further two tries from Matchwick and a well-handled and well-taken try from Liberty Ashdown in the corner and, with conversions from Attley, the half-time score was 38-7.
Stamford continued the second half as they ended the first, in the ascendency and putting constant pressure on the Mansfield defence.
Sarah Mitchelson opened the second half scoring with a sprightly run from just inside the away half and, outpacing the opposition, placed the ball down between the posts.
Two further tries from Matchwick and Ashdown were rounded off by a further try from Mitchelson and three conversions from Attley to make the final score 64-7 to the purple, black and whites.
Stamford will play Kesteven Ladies in the semi-final of the NLD Cup on Friday, May 10. Kick-off is at 7.45pm.
