Ladies Match Reports 2009-10

20th September Northwich Ladies vs Eccles (Away) Won 3-0
Northwich Ladies travelled to Eccles yesterday for a pre-season friendly. With Eccles being a league higher we knew we were in for a tough and close encounter - but nobody could have guessed quite how close the final score would be.

The first half was a battle from end to end with solid defending from both teams. The Northwich scrum looked as solid as ever and we were pinching ball for fun. A foiled late break from Susie Skinner near the Eccles 5 metre line was the closest that both teams were to scoring a try in first half. As the whistle blew we were in a 0-0 stalemate.

At half time Eccles requested that we play uncontested scrumagging - this was no surprise as they were losing the ball at every scrum. 5 minutes into the second half Eccles gave away a penalty 10 metres out and under the sticks, thanks to the quick thinking of Rachel Birtles and the precise boot of Hailey Coutts the first and only points of the game were on the scoreboard - 3-0 to Northwich.

The rest of the second half was pretty much the same end to end rugby, both teams threatening but failing to convert the efforts into points.

The 3-0 score will never do justice to the efforts from both teams.

The Northwich side saw some great performances from Karen Gooch, Susie Skinner and Hailey Coutts to mention just a few. The game showed how far we have come and how much confidence has grown since last season. With a great commitment to training and developing the team, this season is likely to be the one of the most memorable in Northwich Ladies history.

With numerous players being involved in the Cheshire squad next weekend, we look forward to our first league game on 4th October at home to Heaton Moor.

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