Ripon Bluebelles 27- 12 Northallerton Nightmares

A clear but cold day saw the Ripon Women preparing for their second outing at Mallory Park.

The opposition travelled from Northallerton for this game having borrowed some players from the more established Darlington to support their new team, this looked to be the makings of a tough, hard fought match.

The Ripon Women are going from strength to strength and this caused a welcome headache for the coaches who had to decide who should be in the starting line up and what positions they should be in but with plenty of rotations, everyone got plenty of game time.

The game started with Northallerton edging the scrum and breakdown area but they couldn’t stop Kate Taylor going over for the first try. Things carried on in much the same vein for most of the first half with Northallerton levelling the score from a break around the ruck area taking them into half time at 5-5.

After the break ripon changed tactics by getting the ball wider so testing their back line and the forwards fitness. This paid off with Charlotte Thompson going over twice within the space of 10 minutes.

Ripon started holding their own more in the scrums and breakdowns which led to Jess Lane breaking out from the base several times, firstly ending in a try for herself before being caught just sort of the line so that the ever present Nikki Gill was able to pick up the ball and drop it over the line. Northallerton came back with a try of their own but could not break through the Ripon defence to gain any more ground again.

A few of Ripons women had their first full game with the team, Caryl Ann Davis , Becca Longster and Sarah Winterschladen all held their own and are welcome additions to the growing squad of very promising female players. The Woman of the match, Hayley Williams, or as she may from now on be known ‘The Machine’ showed real determination, getting through a mountain of work from the second row, tackling, making breaks and being a thorough nuisance to the opposition.

The game ended on a fitting note as Claire Taylor slotted the conversion as the whistle blew making the final score 27-12. Another convincing win for the Ripon Bluebelles. The Women continue to improve with every game and training session, the good size squad shows dedication and determination.
Anyone who is looking for a fun way to get fit and become part of a focused, fantastic and spirited team just get in touch by visiting our website www.riponrugby.org, find us on facebook The Ripon Rugby Club or twitter @ripongirlsrugby.

Ripon Bluebelles train every Monday evening from 7pm along side the Ripon Girls section at Mallory Park.