Halifax Ladies 10 - 20 Ripon WRUFC 28th May 2017

Ripon Women headed to Halifax on Sunday for their last game of the season and second to have played since the team came together in February
.
High Spirits on a hot day, the team gathered to prep for the game ahead. Kicking off late due to an injury in the first game followed by the men’s charity match meant some waiting for the ladies and for the nerves to kick in. But once they stepped onto the pitch they were ready. It was the second game of the day for most of the Halifax ladies but they were keen to get going.

After a faltering start Halifax made a break through the Ripon defensive line after kick off to score the first try of the game. But with no conversion Halifax only had a 5 point lead.

The first half battled on, both sides showing strong defence and some heavy tackles from Lou Brennan and Sarah Kemp. With multiple line breaks on each team, all stopped just short of the try line.

Just as the first half was about to end, Lou Brennan of Ripon sidestepped a Halifax player, sprinting through the defence and charged to the try line for Ripon’s first try of the game. Calling for the half time whistle allowed a breather in this fast paced game.

With the second half underway, Ripon were quick to the ball, pushing through the defence to the try line. After getting the ball down, elation turned sour for Ripon as it was a disaster for try scorer and Captain Dot Frankland. With a stoppage to treat the injured player, the team decided to finish the game to honour their Captain who suffered a badly broken leg, to finish the game as she would have wanted.

This didn’t deter the Ripon Women, only making them more determined. Allowing Charlotte Thompson to push over the Halifax try line to put them ahead 10-15. The game was hard going, with Clare ‘crazy eyes’ Collins proving tough in the maul and a challenge for Halifax.
As the game was coming to a close, legs were tired, lungs were heaving but Ripon showed a steely courage to get that final try by Lizzie Clark. With a failed conversion, the final whistle blew with a win for Ripon Women 10-20.
The team can come away proud of what they have achieved and after summer training, be ready to hit the next season hard.