Match Report - Bristol Ladies 2nd XV vs Cheltenham Tigers

Bristol Ladies 2^nd XV keep Championship Dream Alive

Match Report - Bristol Ladies 2nd XV vs Cheltenham Tigers - 29th March 2015

A gritty display from Bristol Ladies 2^nd XV secured a vital five points this afternoon with a 33 – 0 victory over Cheltenham Tigers, keeping them in the running to avoid relegation from the Championship South.

Bristol’s first points came through the skill of outside centre Philippa Tuttiett, who worked her way over the try line on 17 minutes, with Stacey Jones slotting the extras comfortably.

Bristol had several chances early on in the game, but adjusting to the windy conditions took a bit of time, and patience was required before Bristol got their second through Debs Fleming on 34 minutes.

The home side enjoyed large spells of possession, upping the tempo towards the end of the first half, with the forwards and backs linking well, and some lightning fast interplay between scrum half Sian Moore and fly half Becky Hughes.

Half time score: Bristol Ladies 12 – Cheltenham Ladies 0

With a win and bonus point required to keep Bristol in the Championship mix, the hosts came out after half time all guns blazing. They were stubborn in defence, determined to keep the opposition from crossing the whitewash, whilst looking dangerous in attack.

Patience again led to Fleming added her second try after 55 minutes, with Jones converting.

A strong wind was making conditions difficult for both teams, with Cheltenham utilising their strongest ball carriers to try and get through the Bristol defence, however the home side held strong, and flanker Becki Belcher added her name to the score sheet on 65 minutes.

The remaining 15 minutes was all about getting that fifth try, however Bristol only needed 5 minutes before Fleming completed her hat trick, successfully converted once more by Jones.

Full time Bristol Ladies 33 – Cheltenham Tigers 0

This result means Bristol Ladies move within 5 points of relegation rivals Trojans. Another bonus point win against Hove will mean Trojans and Bristol 2^nd XV are level on points at the bottom of the table.

Assistant Coach Pete Reakes caught up with us after the game ‘What a phenomenal performance from the girls. We’ve been saying all season this is a young squad – they’ve had a tough season, dealing with the highs and the lows together and today they came out and played for each other – and it clicked. They didn’t let the pressure get to them, they were enjoying their rugby and played out of their skins – I’m extremely proud of them, and the smiles on their faces at the end of the game just showed what it meant to them as well'.

Forward of the game: Daisy Travers - for her awesome tackles, great ball carrying and flexibility to move to second row when required

Back of the game: Debs Fleming – for her hat trick and fluid running lines.

Team Sheet:

1. Samantha Herrick

2. Toya Chapman Mercer

3. Abbie Parsons

4. Nat Lewis

5. Tara McGlade

6. Becki Belcher

7. Daisy Travers

8. Sadie Giles

9. Sian Moore

10. Becky Hughes

11. Debs Fleming

12. Polly Pearce

13. Philippa Tuttiett

14. Jenny Fotheringham

15. Stacey Jones

16. Trish Brown

17. Vicky Zaffiro

Senior Cup - Bristol Ladies vs Aylesford Bulls

Bristol Ladies Senior Cup Match Report

Bristol Ladies 24 - 29 Aylesford Bulls - 1st March 2015

A storming second half comeback wasn't enough this afternoon, as Bristol Ladies left themselves too much to do in their Senior Cup fixture against Aylesford Bulls.

At a sunny Cleve RFC, the away side notched up 24 points in the first half with 4 tries from 4 different players (Riordan, Williams, Ambridge, Gray). The second half started with another try for the Bulls from Megan Snape, before Bristol got their first of the afternoon through Izzy Noel Smith.

This opened the floodgates for Bristol, who went on a scoring spree of their own. Jenny Fotheringham scored second, and shortly after a lovely kick through from Katie Mason landed with Deb Fleming who flew over the line. Philippa Tuttiet also converted two of the four, with and additional penalty try award on 77 minutes.

Aylesford spent most of the second half with 14 players, with two players sent to the bin, however Bristol couldn’t find that final score to give them the win, as the score ended 24 – 29.

Assistant Coach Pete Reakes commented on the game afterwards ‘It was a tough day today, a game of two very different halves. Our pack really held their own against a team with a strong set of forwards. We won all of our own ball, and even turned over two of theirs. When we got going in the second half it was all Bristol. We played up tempo and exciting rugby and often found Aylesford on the back foot. Sadly our own errors let us down, the final pass need work as we really need to execute that more accurately. The last 30 minutes was a huge squad effort and was exciting to watch – we just needed to play like that from the start!’

Forward of the game: Izzy Noel Smith

Back of the game: Katie Mason

Squad Lists:

1. Sam Herrick

2.  Clara Neilson

3. Sophie Hemming

4. Amelia Buckland Hurry

5. Daisy Travers

6. Toya Chapman Mercer

7. Sue Neumann

8. Izzy Noel Smih

9. Sian Moore

10. Philippa Tuttiet

11. Debs Fleming

12. Jenny Fortheringham

13. Rosie Kells

14. Stacey Jones

15. Katie Mason

Subs:
Sadie Giles
Polly Pearce
Vicky Zaffiro

Izzy Noel Smith scoring the first Bristol try of the afternoon

Photo by Rikki Teml - http://www.rmtphotos.co.uk/p750833830