U13 Girls in Waterfall Wonderland

Following on from the previous week’s triumph over ONs the girls went to Chesham with high hopes. This was a waterfall featuring 5 teams. Olney played straight through with 4 16 minute matches back to back. The pitches were small which didn’t suit our running game and conditions were sticky to say the least.
This week it was just Olney with 11 girls turning out. Mimi (captain), Hollie, Bethany, Ella, Molly, Eva, Evie, Hattie, Madeleine, Freyja and Nancy. There was also a combined U11s game where Olivia from Olney starred, scoring twice and winning glowing praise from the Chesham coaches.
In an all conquering day the Olney girls won all four matches, scoring 19 tries and conceding only 4. Be under no illusion, these were not hollow victories. The Olney girls were tested in each game and responded, keeping the opposition under the pump until they pulled away in the last third of each game.
In the first match we downed Ampthill 4-0 with tries from Eva and Ella plus a brace from Evie. This was a team that beat us narrowly two weeks ago. Without some excellent Ampthill defence it would’ve been double the score. They were penned within their own 22 for most of the game and with the Olney girls playing their self-invented double fullback system any attempt to clear their lines was returned with interest. This was a game against a big pack where our three forward enforcers of Hattie, Ella and Evie were asked to step up and did so. Molly took a knock to the head doing some good work in the thick of it and had to be substituted, returning later in the day.
Next up we played Fullerians, one of the strong clubs in Hertfordshire who play in the right spirit. In a tough game Eva opening the scoring early on, but Olney then had to hang on until half time. Three quick tries in the second half from Hattie, Freyja and Evie sealed the match. Nancy also came close being called for a double movement. Freyja’s was her first try for the club and it sparked wild celebrations on the sidelines. Leading a huge defensive shift were Mimi and Bethany who both closed down space.
Match 3 saw a combined team from the host club and others take the lead, the only time Olney fell behind during the day. The girls were starting to tire and strong opposition forwards saw a gap and went through. Don’t poke a sleeping tiger, however. Hollie pulled one back, followed by midfield dynamo Nancy. In the second half the dam broke and Eva, Madeleine, Eva again and Ella crossed. Final score 6-2. Madeleine’s try was notable as she had returned after suffering a big hit earlier on, but stepped and gassed her opposite number to score.
The last game saw us take on Towcester/Bletchley combined. Again we had to soak up initial pressure, only getting onto the board via Eva, Madeleine and Eva again towards the end of the first half. Hattie and Mimi scored after half time to leave us 5-1 winners.
The girls were asked to offload during the matches and kept the ball alive excellently. When required our aggressive rucking was excellent especially via Evie and Hollie, and Hattie has turned into a great crash ball option. Mimi tried the first ever chip and catch seen at this level and narrowly knocked on having gathered the ball. Bethany worked well in midfield and took some hard yards out of the opposition.
Girl of the matches was Eva, who scored a bucket load of tries and saved a few. This was a fabulous team effort from a group of girls who are on the verge of forging a pretty special team.