By Ian Lodge
February 26: Thanet Wanderers RUFC Ladies 55 Bexley Ladies 5
Thanet Wanderers RUFC Ladies maintained their 100% Inner Warrior league records with their 6th consecutive win at home to Bexley Ladies.
With a reshuffled side to give all players game time, Thanet took to the field lead for the first time by Georgia Elks who has just received her call up to the Kent squad.
With a simple game plan of moving defenders around and exploiting the space, Thanet were 2 tries to the good after a break by Tilia Elliston and a superbly times offload to Sophia Richardson saw her go underneath the posts. The same combination came together a few moments later for a near identical move and try and Thanet were 12-0 to the good.
Bexley are a solid side and ran the ball through the middle of the Thanet pack most of the day but the Thanet pack were able to combat most of what came their way most notably with tough tackling displays from Aisha Williams and Vicky Flower
After a turnover in the tackle, quick hands from the Thanet backs saw pacy winger Amy Coster put into space and her pace saw her get around the Bexley cover defence to dot down in the corner. 19-0.
Bexley were dangerous on the counter attack and ball retention from Thanet will need to be better against higher ranked sides. One such turnover saw the Bexley fly half perform a similar move to Coster’s a few minutes before and score in the corner to reduce the score to 19-5.
20 minutes into the game saw the first of the bench players enter the field and centre Izzy Lodge got on the scoresheet twice within the first few minutes with a try from Elks in between them and Thanet were beginning to stretch away to a 38-5 lead.
Richardson then got her hat-trick and followed that up in quick time with her fourth and completed a convincing 55-5 victory.
Thanet have two tough home games over the next few weeks with the visits of Dartford Valley and Cranbrook before the return to league action to try and sew up the league campaign at Old Gravesendians.
Tries: Richardson 4, Coster, Elks, Lodge 2,
Con: Richardson 3, Bish L 2
February 19: Thanet Wanderers RUFC Ladies 79 Sheppey Ewes 5
Thanet Wanderers RUFC Ladies welcomed Sheppey to St Peter’s Recreation Ground on Sunday in an Inner Warrior match, a repeat of the narrow victory that Thanet took away from Sheppey last April in Sheppey’s first ever ladies match.
Both sides have developed well since that match which was 10-a-side whereas this game saw two squads each with 20 players, 15-a-side and full benches.
With Alex White in as skipper with regular captain Gee Cordell away, it was debutant scrum half Maria Castellina and White who pulled the strings to move the Thanet pack around the park before releasing the backs.
Prop Neave Evans was the first to get on the scoresheet after good work from Aisha Williams before number 8, Milly Thurman-Newell got on the scoresheet with 2 trademark barraging runs through the middle for an early 19-0 lead Centre Izzy Lodge then got on the scoresheet with a cut inside and scamper over from 30 metres before and White hit her third conversion.
Sheppey were far from done despite shipping early tries and started to dominate the midfield forwards tussle. Repeated phases in the 22 saw the Thanet defence run out and they crashed over for a try to reduce the deficit to 26-5.
Debutant winger Abbey Duff before Lodge got her second and a 38-5 half time lead whilst our third debutant Charlotte was instrumental in the build-up.
The second half saw much of the same with Thurman-Newell completing her hat-trick with Leonie Bich getting on the scresheet in between.
Points machine, Sophia Richardson then got on the scoresheet 2 tries and 2 conversions with another try in between by Lucy Challenger.
In the later stages of the game, Thanet put on their fourth and fifth debutants, Daisy Osborne and Carley Powderham which is a key indicator on how this squad is growing.
Tries: Evans, Thurman-Newell M 4, Lodge 2, Duff, Bish L 2, Richardson 2, Challenger
Con: White 6, Richardson
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