14th March 2004 - Beccs lose 0-15 at home to Aylesford
Beccehamian Ladies lost 0-15 in a very competitive Division 3 SE-E match at Sparrow's Den against Aylesford Ladies.
With Beccs Ladies clinging to the top spot in the League and with Aylesford second this was always going to be a good match with both teams giving everything. Fate had already decided that it would be a muddy one and with the rain pouring down and with patches of the pitch already boggy it became a forward dominated game.
Beccs kicked off up the slope and it was Aylesford who made the first attack. With some good tackles going in Beccehamians defended well against strong running from Aylesford. With scrums much-improved from the last match Beccs were able to make use of the ball with some distribution out to their backs. Flanker Josie Barnard was filling in at centre after the loss of Steph Kaleta this week to a broken leg and Josie did a fantastic job both passing the ball out along the line to winger Alaina Allen as well as taking the ball on the attack herself.
The pitch was extremely hard going and the ball was slow to travel around the field. The forwards came into their own during this match with some good turnover ball from the maul and some competent rucking. Lock Amanda Fenwick had a fantastic first half playing at flank and tackling everything in sight. The deadlock however was broken after around 15 minutes with Aylesford working the ball up the field and their winger running it in from the twenty-two.
Beccs dug back in and began to recyle the ball well. Alaina Allen on the wing made some well timed runs with some good interchanges with fly-half Carolyn Waugh and centre Kelly Malynn. However With Aylesford defending well they were unable to break through to score.
Aylesford forwards worked hard at the end of the first half and managed to push Beccs back into their twenty-two. Beccs defence worked overtime to keep the Aylesford forwards out and managed to hold them up twice over the line, before the Aylesford number 8 managed a great run-in from a five metre scrum.
After half-time Beccs were running downhill and upped the effort to 110%. Katie Gosling took to the field to play her first ever rugby match at prop and despite looking rather stunned for the first five minutes she then got stuck in and was soon putting in the tackles. With only minutes gone in the second half, Aylesford created an overlap which allowed their speedy winger to run in for her second of the day.
With the pitch an absolute mess and all the ladies looking identical (wearing a nice muddy brown kit) it became a deadlock with both sides putting in great tackles and desperately trying to gain some grip to run through the mud. The last ten minutes lasted for eons as both teams put in Herculean efforts in what was becoming almost a comedy situation with the amount of mud covering everyone (I'm sure people pay good money to see situations similar to this...!) At the final whistle both teams were vocal in their congratulations with everyone on a real high after what had been an enjoyable and competitive match.
Many thanks to Aylesford for such a fantastic match played with spirit, determination and sportsmanship and we wish them the best of luck for the rest of the season.
This match felt like a turning point for Beccehamians with everyone gelling as a team and both old and new girls all playing with guts and determination. Despite the loss it was still Beccs best ever result against Aylesford and shows just how far the team has travelled in the last two years. This result sees Beccs ladies still just about clinging grimly to the top of Division 3 SE-E. However with both Aylesford and Thanet having games in hand it will need a massive effort in the last four matches of the season to stay there.
Beccs ladies next game is away to Sidcup in Division 3 SE-E on Sunday 21st March.
Beccehamian Team
Forwards:
Fiona Keith-Lucas, Michelle Pope, Yvonne Baxter, Hannah Watts, Amanda Fenwick, Natasha Williams, Sarah Henson, Katie Gosling, Sam Howe
Backs:
Steph Godsland, Carolyn Waugh, Kelly Malynn, Lizzie Wilson, Alaina Allen, Josie Barnard, Colette Johnson
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