Sunday 15th April
Moor ladies finished the season with a great team performance and their first ever positive points difference in a season. It may have only been +2 in the end but it is a vast improvement on the -300&odd of past seasons! They still top the table & expect promotion but a couple of teams have matches still to play so the final position is yet to be confirmed.
It was a sunny but hazy afternoon in Fleetwood & the ground was rock solid (complete opposite of our last outing at Rossendale!). Fleetwood showed their pace early in the game as their scrum-half ran past us to score in the first minute. Heidi was tackled in Fleetwood's 22 and Jacqui tried to take it over the line but Fleetwood turned the ball over and kicked down field. After winning the ball back at the lineout, we pushed forward & prop Amanda scored Moor's first try.
Fleetwood's ridiculously-fast fly-half scored her first hatrick of the day & converted them too but Moor fought back with tries from Captain-elect Kate Morley & ever-fast Heidi. Fleetwood scrum-half then scored again giving a half time score of 35-15.
Fleetwood opened the scoring in the 2nd half before our scrum-half, Jacqui, gave theirs a bite of the dust. The next try from Fleetwood was quickly answered by Heidi before a short break for a Fleetwood injury (and much needed water!). Centre Briony broke through Fleetwood to score with assistance from Heidi and full-back Helen successfully converted. That pesky Fleetwood fly-half ran in another couple of tries before Laurence made a great break. Moor were awarded 2 penalties in quick succession in the Fleetwood 22 before Heidi powered over the line - with the entire Fleetwood pack hanging off her! Helen converted again.
A Fleetwood player was sin-binned for kicking Heidi but then the fast fly-half struck again...and again. Congratulations to Martina who successfully tackled the speedy one twice, Debbie who managed some great steals at the back of the lineout & Helen who caught some long kicks & ran them back. The last few minutes were nerve-racking for those of us on the sideline who knew that the positive points difference we had worked hard at all season stood at -5. There was some great support play from the whole team & we got a penalty and then a scrum in Fleetwood's 22. Jacqui grabbed the ball from Domps' feet and made it over the line to bring our points difference up to 0. Unbeknown to Helen, a positive finish was all down to her conversion which she struck perfectly.
We may have lost the game but the whole team can be rightly proud of our season. Well done to all the girls and thanks to Captain Katy & Coach Jimmy.
© Heaton Moor Rugby Union Football Club 2005 | design by Doug
Bennett
