Bristol Ladies overcome hail and torrential rain to claim victory over Worcester in the last round of the Senior Cup.
Both teams ran out with intent during this re-arranged fixture played at Filton SGS College on Tuesday night – a place in the plate semi-final was up for grabs.
The weather hampered the efforts of both sides – with the wind and rain having a large impact on the accuracy of kicks and passes, although the pace of the game remained high throughout.
Bristol got the first score of the match as Claire Molloy went over for her first try, after returning from international duty with Ireland in the Six Nations.
Worcester followed this with a skilfully kicked penalty, slotting the ball right through the middle of the posts.
On 25 minutes the hail hit, leaving both sides struggling to convert chances into points, which was how the first half continued until the referee blew the half time whistle.
Half time score: Bristol Ladies 5 (1 try) – 3 (1 penalty) Worcester Ladies
The second half began, and thankfully the rain held off allowing more free flowing rugby to follow.
Worcester attacked right from the off, camping on the Bristol 5 metre line for a period of time. Daisy Travers was the recipient of a team yellow card for infringing at the breakdown, which led to Worcester opting for a 5m scrum. Bristol’s stern defence and the weather conditions kept Worcester from scoring and moved the momentum back to the opposite end of the pitch.
66 minutes in, and Philippa Tuttiett broke the deadlock using her pace and footwork to break through the Worcester line and score. From the re-start Amelia Buckland Hurry stormed through with a solo run – the ball found its way to El Snowsill who scored, taking the score to 15 – 3.
Worcester pushed back, with some great runs of their own – however the pressure from Bristol kept growing, and Molloy crossed the whitewash to get her second of the afternoon – with Snowsill converting.
A tough fixture for both sides, with conditions not helping either team – however a hard fought win keeps Bristol in the battle for cup success.
Final score: Bristol Ladies 22 (4 tries, 1 conv) – 3 (1 penalty) Worcester Ladies
Bristol Forward of the game: Kate Newton, for her workrate and attacking rugby
Bristol Back of the game: El Snowsill, for her creativity and excellent footwork
Picked by Roy Davies, Coach
Coach Roy Davies after the game said: “The girls came out with great intent today, looking to keep a high tempo and exciting brand of rugby. We were always looking to offload – maybe slightly too much on some occasions – but our defence stood up to the Worcester pressure and we displayed great line speed today. It was great to see the team work together, a group of players who all want to play rugby and enjoy the game – it was great to watch.”
Game Score Stats:
15m – TRY Bristol – Claire Molloy, 5 – 0
23m – PEN Worcester – 5 – 3
HALF TIME
44m – YELLOW Bristol – Daisy Travers
66m – TRY Bristol – Philippa Tuttiett, 10 – 3
70m – TRY Bristol – El Snowsill, 15 – 3
77m – TRY Bristol – Claire Molloy, 20 – 3
77m – CONV Bristol – El Snowsill, 22 – 3
TEAM SHEET
Bristol
1 Kate Newton
2 Clara Nielson
3 Kayleigh Armstrong
4 Nat Lewis
5 Trish Brown
6 Naomi Smith
7 Daisy Travers
8 Amelia Buckland Hurry
9 Sian Moore
10 El Snowsill
11 Sophie Cleverly
12Claire Molloy
13 Philippa Tuttiett
14 Izzy Moore
15 Becky Hughes
16 Emma Lacey (for Sophie Cleverly, 65 mins)
Next fixtures
Senior Cup Plate Semi-Final – Sunday 3rd April Bristol Ladies vs Lichfield Ladies – the venue is Cleve RFC THe Hayfields, Cossham St. Avon, Bristol BS16 9EN
Report courtesy of Bristol Ladies RFC
Photo by RMT Photography Bristol
