Kingsbridge RFC

The women’s team at Kingsbridge put on a terrific show for their enthusiastic supporters at High House on Sunday.

 

This was a fine display of flowing, athletic rugby, with a youthful line up keen to test themselves in this revised league.  The first half saw Kingsbridge get off to a flying start with the ball being recycled quickly, the pack showing much improved body positioning and star of the day, Sophia King, working swift ball to Hannah Gayle who dotted down for a quick, impressive try. 

Maddie Grant collected 2 tries soon after and was a nuisance all game, with determined running and hard tackles throughout.  Maddie’s home-grown excellence was matched by several more of Kingsbridge’s youth section alumni – a great testament to its youth rugby set up.  Connie Eastwood again stepped up to dominate much of the tight play, Erin Roberts showed her undeniable class when she came on and high-flying Abi Lethbridge tore up the pitch all game long, ending up with 5, yes 5, tries.  Her speed and measured handling were too much for a tiring St Austell team.  Lauren Jeffery crashed through the St Austell defences and once again showed her potential to become a pivotal player for the team and Kings raced through again after some fine distribution from Sam Hopkins led to a well taken try for Sophia.  

Charlotte Budgen was next to score, her class again showing all game long.  The second half was more of a challenge.  St Austell proved their mettle with a brave defiance of the Kingsbridge onslaught and did well to keep the home side out for prolonged spells with robust defence and some eye-catching attacks, particularly from their inside centre. 

Feeling left out of the scoring, the team’s talisman, Hayley Hopkins arrived on the scene with some devastating tackling to thwart the visitors’ attacks.  She backed this up with a fine chip and gather to get herself over the tryline.  Reliable forwards Fi Hutchings and Zoe Clacy worked hard consistently and delivered many of the platforms from which the backs were able to score.  The final accolade of the day must go to Sophia though, who is learning to play at 9 and doing very well.  Her intuitive nose for a gap in defensive lines will stand her in good stead for more promising performances in the matches ahead.  Finally, a word for St Austell - they were rocked by a very quick start from the home team which put them on the back foot early in the game.

The scoreline at the final whistle felt somewhat harsh and didn’t truly capture the determination and effort St Austell continued to show throughout the match. Even after it became clear that the game was slipping away from them, they kept pushing, demonstrating great resilience and spirit until the very end.