This weekend saw Hitchin Ladies play their first Friday night fixture of the season at home to Peterborough. With many new faces and additions to the squad, it was always going to be a challenging night of rugby for the ladies, but with a full team and subs, Hitchin had their game faces on and were ready to prove themselves.
After working hard on their defensive play during training, the team clearly showed that they meant business. With an immense defensive line, Hitchin were not letting Peterborough through easily. However, a few lapses of concentration saw Peterborough put points on the scoreboard with an early try. Coming back strong, Hitchin played as a team and worked hard to steal the ball. After a great steal from Hannah Smith, the team played the ball through the hands to Jade Cooper who, with her lightening pace, found herself running easily through the defence. A great offload to Natalie Mellowship saw Hitchin put points against their opponents.
With Laura-Jo Pearce steadying the scrum and Amy Haughton making some crushing tackles, Hitchin showed that they were not scared of the contact. Peterborough took the opportunity to score again after a Hitchin mistake but this was closely followed by another try for Hitchin from Emma Pooley who crashed over the line to score.
With exceptional performances from Jan Haines, Jilly Arnold, Lucinda King and Natalie Mellowship, and massive commitment from the whole team, Hitchin were unlucky to narrowly miss out on the win.
Forward of the match: Gilly Arnold
Back of the match: Natalie Mellowship
Scores