Late victory for Stamford Women’s Rugby against Welwyn

With the last kick of the match, Stamford Women overcame their Welwyn counterparts 19-17 in a nail-biting and tense final match of the year in deepest Hertfordshire on Sunday.

Stamford got off to a very bright start and kept the home team in their own half for the first 20 minutes of the match before the scoreboard was troubled with a well taken try from the formidable Chantelle Miller.

From a penalty five metres from the home team's line, Miller picked up the ball and passed it to Brogan Cranfield who charged towards the try line.

Cranfield was stopped short on the line and went to ground and, as she did so, the ball was nimbly fed backwards to the supporting Miller who took hold and powered herself over the line for the first points. The try was duly converted by the redoubtable Daisy Attley.

Stamford maintained the pressure in the Welwyn half with their influential captain Nikki Hudson making forays towards the try line, ably supported by most notably front row colleague Nash Hadley and lock Rachel Salter.

Unfortunately for the purple, black and white army, the home side were resilient and prevented the visitors from putting any further points on the scoreboard and the first half ended with Stamford 7-0 ahead.

Welwyn kicked the second half off and were immediately pressurising the visiting defensive line.

Playing advantage from a Stamford knock on, Welwyn showed that they were still very much in the game when they scored an impressive try.

The two sides then locked horns and the ball went from end to end in search of a try line to cross over before Stamford struck 10 minutes into the half.

After sustained pressure from the Stamford pack, Jess Gargan got hold of the ball from a pinpoint Attley pass and, spotting a gap in the defence, weaved her way through the defenders and over the line.

Welwyn then went up a gear and scored two well executed tries to bring the scoreline to 17-12 in their favour and, with the game nearly gone, it seemed that victory would go to the home side.

However, the visitors showed their true colours and worked as one in an attempt to snatch victory from defeat.

An infringement by Welwyn at the scrum 12 metres from the home try line saw a penalty awarded to Stamford which in turn saw the commanding Sarah Mitchelson pick up the ball and head straight towards the home try line.

Welwyn did their very best to stop the missile but Mitchelson managed to power herself through the melee of defenders and place the ball over the try line to level the scores 17-17.

All of the Stamford players, coaches and travelling supporters then held their breath while Liberty Ashdown placed the ball on the tee and, with it being held in place by Emily Russell, stepped back to take the kick.

Ashdown then pinpointedly slotted the ball between the posts and, with the referee blowing his whistle for full time, the victory was purple, black and white.

Stamford are next at home on Sunday, January 5, against Ipswich Ladies with an added bonus of Stamford Storm also entertaining Northampton BBOB women.