The Mergoats are off to a great start in NC2! by Brandon McLaughlin

Stafford’s debut match in the NC2 league took place on an overcast Sunday, when the Women’s 1st XV welcomed Telford Hornets to a busy Stafford ground. The afternoon saw the home crowds stretched over four pitches with the Stafford Roses, Panthers and Colts all in action alongside the Mergoats.

From the opening whistle, it was clear that this was going to be a physical and forward heavy match against a strong Telford squad. Within the first five minutes however, Cath Anthony put Stafford on the board with a spirited run up the right wing to score, with Verity Bellingham securing the conversion. 7 – 0 to Stafford.

Following the restart, Caroline Hickman showed her skills with some strong counter rucking, and after hard-fought scrum, Verity Bellingham got the ball out to Gemma Simkin who flew up the pitch to score under the uprights, followed by a successful kick for the conversion at ten minutes into the first half. 14 – 0 to Stafford

This try seemed to ignite the opposition and play involved a lot of back and forth in the centre of the pitch with both Stafford and Telford showcasing some great defensive play. Stafford saw strong tackling from the likes of Marie Ward, Saskia Conaghan and Holly Howitt. Scrappy play inside the Stafford 22 led to a chance for Telford, with Elizabeth Farmery holding up a try just before the water break.

The Telford team built some steam with a hard push deep into Stafford’s 22, which led to a try-saving tackle from Lizzie Oxley. Unfortunately, Telford had the momentum behind them at this point and finally were able to push one of their props over the line to score. 14-5 to Stafford.

Stafford fought back with a roar however, and continued to apply pressure to Telford, and was showing some powerful runs into the opposition’s defence as the midfield play continued. Powerful carries from Clare Plenderleith, and Claire Rix were complimented by tackles from Aimee MacDonald and Tianna Tizley, with consistent pressure at the breakdown from Bobbi Prendergast-Sherratt and Alex Allen-Gunn. Gemma Simkin finally broke through the traffic to put down her second try of the day, which was handily converted by Verity Bellingham. 21-5 Stafford.

Off the restart, Dee Hanlon made a spectacular clearout which allowed Elizabeth Farmery to jackal the ball from the opposition, which was passed out and run up the left-hand side by Verity Bellingham, who scored but was unable to make the conversion. 26-5 to Stafford at Half Time.

The second half started strong from the Stafford side, but an unfortunate yellow card for a high tackle given to Tianna Tizley a few minutes in gave Telford the breathing space they needed. They used their man advantage to push through the Stafford defence and score under the posts. This was converted to take the score to 26-12 for Stafford.

The game carried on, with give and take from both teams. For Stafford there were good carries up the middle from Ellie Roberts and Karima Alghazzi that kept up the pressure in the centre of the pitch. A full team effort of numerous phases resulted in Saskia Conaghan scoring in front of the clubhouse to the delight of the home crowd. 31- 12 to Stafford

Strong support play from Fiona Preston and Emily Rolinson on her return from injury was helping Stafford to keep the momentum in Stafford’s favour, and after some fancy footwork from Gemma Simkin, she outpaced the opposition to take a run up the right-hand side for a hattrick! 38-12 Stafford

An unfortunate injury to Clare Plenderleith led to a joint decision to call time on the match just short of the full 80 minutes. We all wish Clare a speedy recovery.

Final Score Stafford 38 – 12 Telford

Back of the Match: Gemma Simkin
Forward of the match: Elizabeth Farmery
Mergoat of the Match: Marie Ward