Cheshire Pressure Gets the Points (Eventually...!)
After the bitter disappointment at Yorkshire, Cheshire’s nerves were jangling when again they took so long to convert their dominance in both territory and possession into points. The first 15 minutes of this match were therefore spent in the Lancashire 22 without troubling the scoreboard!
Ironically, it was only after the ball was forced back a few metres that the space opened up for an incisive charge from midfield for the first score, under the posts and converted by Nieve Jones.
Cheshire’s second try was a classic sprint down the right wing with the lessons that every point counts clearly learned from the tight Yorkshire match - the flying winger touched down centrally to make the extras more straightforward. Although the 14-0 lead after half an hour was not really a reflection of Cheshire’s dominance, at least there was a two score gap between the sides.
The forwards then decided to get into the act when a scrum was awarded back inside the Lancashire 22. A perfectly timed pick up from the base of a scrum resulted in the third try of the half and the score started to reflect the Cheshire girls’ domination. As so often happens, this seemed to be the cue for a spirited fight back and Lancashire certainly finished the half stronger, although the Cheshire defence held to retain the 19-0 scoreline.
The second half almost yielded a second typical forwards’ try when Thea Breau drove through the defending pack for several metres than could reasonably be expected. Lancashire’s defence lost their shape as a result and the pack were able to quickly feed the ball back so that a flowing move along the three quarters culminated in a try in the opposite corner.
The game was really beyond Lancashire now but they continued to push and camped out in Cheshire’s 22 for an extended period, much the same as Cheshire had started the game. Cheshire’s defence was excellent however and despite the position, it looked unlikely that Lancashire were going to register their first points. Lancashire eventually seemed to lose possession while laying siege to the Cheshire line but to the apparent surprise of the Lancashire girls as much as to Cheshire, a try was awarded as the referee adjudged that the ball had been taken over the line under control.
Cheshire were in some ways grateful to be released from their own half and followed up on the restart to establish another strong attacking position in the hope of finishing the game on a high. With the Cheshire forwards hammering at the Lancashire line, the match unfortunately had to be held up due to an injury. At this point the referee decided that a restart after what looked likely to be an extended break in play was unnecessary.
With a convincing four tries to one, 24-5 victory, Cheshire were pleased to have maintained their excellent record against their local rivals. The U15s supported the cause on the day with a 17-12 victory against the younger Lancashire girls.