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Sun 27 Oct 2019
Ampthill
Girls U14s
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Girls travel to Ampthill
Jacquie Ladyman29 Oct 2019 - 16:20
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Girls defeated despite storming comeback
The girls travelled to Ampthill on Sunday with a decent sized squad despite half term availability worries. We had narrowly beaten this opposition in the first match of the season but knew it would be a different proposition on their home turf. They have a big strong pack and we were missing three key forwards. Once again there was great cooperation with our partner club Bedford, the squad being Mimi (captain), Eva, Ella, Shelby, Annalisa, Evangeline, Molly, Hollie, Freyja, Gabriella, Madeleine and Bethany.
To be able to turn out a squad of 12 in half term shows the depth of our talent pool and all the girls made a big contribution. Playing 4 quarters of ten minutes each on a narrow pitch, the Olney/Bedford girls were under the cosh immediately. Hard running forwards took some pulling down. There was some brave tackling from Shelby, Mimi and Eva but pressure told and Ampthill scored. We were hanging off rucks which allowed the opposition to preserve their ball and steal ours. After more pressure that kept us pinned in our own 22 the girls shipped a second try at the end of the first quarter. This gave the coaching team of Will and Will the opportunity to give some input and focus on back to basics.
The second quarter saw a much improved effort. Madeleine made a barnstorming 40 metre run and was hauled down just short, carrying three players with her despite being the smallest on the pitch. Ella continued to grow into her role as hooker in both tight and open play. Evangeline, after a few nerves, put in a huge hit and never looked back. The flying duo of Eva and Mimi worked through the middle with the latter scoring.
The third quarter saw some excellent runs from Annalisa who scampered up the touch line. The pitch had been widened to a more appropriate size and the girls took full advantage to move their heavier opponents around. Mimi scored from a scything run around the edge, whilst Bethany and Molly continued to influence the game as senior girls.
As the opposition began to tire in the final quarter the Olney/Bedford girls began to turn the screws. That said, it required some excellent defence from Freyja and Gabriella in midfield to haul down some strong runners. We finally started to get our offloading game going and this resulted in the team try of the day, with Hollie being put through and dragging two Ampthill players over the line with her. Game management also improved with Mimi kicking well to put the opposition back. A kick is only as good as the chase, however, and one slack chase saw the Ampthill danger back weave her way through to score.
The match ended with Olney/Bedford clearly on top but without the time to get the final try, the match ending in a 5-4 loss. This was a sterling effort by the whole team to overcome a poor start. The girl of the match was Mimi, who led from the front, tackled like a demon and scored two tries to boot.
To be able to turn out a squad of 12 in half term shows the depth of our talent pool and all the girls made a big contribution. Playing 4 quarters of ten minutes each on a narrow pitch, the Olney/Bedford girls were under the cosh immediately. Hard running forwards took some pulling down. There was some brave tackling from Shelby, Mimi and Eva but pressure told and Ampthill scored. We were hanging off rucks which allowed the opposition to preserve their ball and steal ours. After more pressure that kept us pinned in our own 22 the girls shipped a second try at the end of the first quarter. This gave the coaching team of Will and Will the opportunity to give some input and focus on back to basics.
The second quarter saw a much improved effort. Madeleine made a barnstorming 40 metre run and was hauled down just short, carrying three players with her despite being the smallest on the pitch. Ella continued to grow into her role as hooker in both tight and open play. Evangeline, after a few nerves, put in a huge hit and never looked back. The flying duo of Eva and Mimi worked through the middle with the latter scoring.
The third quarter saw some excellent runs from Annalisa who scampered up the touch line. The pitch had been widened to a more appropriate size and the girls took full advantage to move their heavier opponents around. Mimi scored from a scything run around the edge, whilst Bethany and Molly continued to influence the game as senior girls.
As the opposition began to tire in the final quarter the Olney/Bedford girls began to turn the screws. That said, it required some excellent defence from Freyja and Gabriella in midfield to haul down some strong runners. We finally started to get our offloading game going and this resulted in the team try of the day, with Hollie being put through and dragging two Ampthill players over the line with her. Game management also improved with Mimi kicking well to put the opposition back. A kick is only as good as the chase, however, and one slack chase saw the Ampthill danger back weave her way through to score.
The match ended with Olney/Bedford clearly on top but without the time to get the final try, the match ending in a 5-4 loss. This was a sterling effort by the whole team to overcome a poor start. The girl of the match was Mimi, who led from the front, tackled like a demon and scored two tries to boot.
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