We gathered at Monk’s Lane with nerves building especially when we discovered that it was to be a game of 10’s as Sutton unfortunately couldn’t field a full team. League rules dictate that this is perfectly acceptable but for us the level of concern was building as we are not a 10’s team.

After a journey made worse by the M25 we arrived at a cloudless Sutton ready to take on the tough challenge which was to be played in soaring and unseasonably warm temperatures. The unveiling of our brand new kit from our sponsors Wilds Sports lifted our spirits and once we made it onto the pitch after a rallying speech from our captain, Laura Smith, we were poised and ready for our kick off.

It wasn’t long into the first half that the first points were scored. Unfortunately, despite kicking off and retaining the ball well, Sutton broke through the centre of the field and sprinted from half way to score under the posts, the try was ably converted.

Newbury quickly gathered under the posts while Sutton were taking their conversion and whatever was said clearly did the trick as the Newbury Ladies kicked for the restart with a new found vigour and purpose. It wasn’t long before the first try was scored by Laura “I will lead by example” Smith that she even converted, a marked improvement from the Oxford game.

The replacements waiting on the Newbury bench were full of cheers and encouragement that propelled the team on, especially from our new Vaseline Technician Hannah “Don’t call me a veteran” Ward.

It wasn’t long until the second try was scored by a storming run from Megan Oxley down the blind side, again this was converted by Laura “All Rounder” Smith. At this point the one we call French (Gaelle Marcassus) who was nursing a badly sprained elbow had a difficult decision to make, does she go to the bar and get a pint or take to the field and cause havoc?! Luckily for us she chose the latter and wasted no time before getting stuck in and flooring everyone that stood in her way! There was to be an ongoing battle between her and Carrie “Wrecking Ball” Smith as to who would cause the most carnage.

A third try was scored before the half was up by Emma Button. Hannah “Cinders” Newman claims that the try would have been hers had she not got confused by the location of the try line but I would like to give Button full credit for such an awesome finish. Laura “Have I Really Got 3?” Smith converted yet again before the half time whistle went.

With a delivery of half time oranges the girls regrouped ready for the second half.

After the Sutton kick off it wasn’t long before the ever present Hannah “Tom” Ward, who had relinquished her earlier duties, broke through the centre with a dash to the try line. She showed great pace and then it was as though we were watching in slow motion as the try line got closer only to realise that, being a veteran, she no longer had the stamina to make it to the line so with Laura on her shoulder she popped the ball for an easily convertible try under the posts. However, Laura “2 Trys” Smith got distracted by what I can only imagine was something wonderful and narrowly missed what should have been the most straight forward of kicks.

The play continued at a furious pace from Newbury and soon, thanks to the Wrecking Ball, there were Sutton players laid out across the pitch needing some attention. These breaks in the sunshine gave the Newbury girls the time to hydrate and catch those all important rays.

After another period of immense pressure Lou Goodall broke through on the wing leaving many a defender in her wake. The Sutton full back was not willing to let the try go easily and chased Lou down but not before the ball was passed to Laura “Hat-Trick” for a score in the corner which she was unable to convert.

From the restart Laura “This is all about me” Smith kicked the ball and declared that she ‘needed a few minutes to sort herself out’ after the ball rocketed out on the full.

This little outburst did not distract the other more focused members of the team and soon Cinders crossed under the posts for an easily convertible try….wait, haven’t we already been here?! Again Laura “Oh FFS Laura” Smith was unable to convert blaming the adverse weather conditions and that fact that she was ‘spent’ from scoring 3 trys and 3 earlier conversions. At this point our coach, the ever present Lee Goodall decided that it would be for the best if she came off the field before too many delusions of grandeur set in.

There was to be one final try of the game and there were no surprises when French crossed the line after some well worked phases by the forwards. Despite nursing an injury she was able to remain focused and drove across the line to score. This also ensured that she was to remain to try scorer of the season alongside Laura “Enough about her already” Smith.

The remainder of the game enable Newbury to give all their girls at least 5-10 minutes including my good self. The game was unfortunately cut slightly short when one of the players went down with an injury that resulted in a visit to minor injuries. Unfortunately for us it was one of our new players Becky “Banshee” Murphy who had to be carried off with a bad ankle sprain.

The final score was Sutton 7 – Newbury 41 which considering the temperatures and having to play almost 70 minutes at 10 a side is an awesome result. There were well deserved accolades for Lou Goodall and Carrie Smith who received forward and back of the match respectively but they were unable to win in the boat race!

We would also like to extend our thanks to Carly “Twinny/Limpy” Huck for keeping track of the game through the medium of photography and for remembering some of the finer details of the game.