Blues deliver in nine try thriller

Fly half Meg Mason steered Newbury Ladies to a bonus point win in their second championship game with a masterful territorial display, making it nine points from ten in their first two league games. Drybrook are the first established championship team Newbury have faced since their promotion, but there was no danger of them showing too much respect as they started brightly and determinedly, steering the ball into Drybrook territory from the kick off and competing well at the breakdown. Harriet Mustard and forward of the match Megan Horwood were an irrepressible back row pairing around the ruck and it was their continual harassment of the visitor's pack that led to Newbury's first points. Having gone close to the line through their backs, they won a penalty at the ruck and Chloe Hunt converted a tricky kick to take some points from a sustained period in the 22.

But it was Drybrook who scored first when their ridiculously pacey centre made an audacious interception and ran in a 40 metre try against the run of play, testing Newbury's appetite for the scrap (and a scrap it was turning out to be). But buoyed by their home support and steered by outstanding territorial kicking from Mason, they once again established themselves in Drybrook's 22 and were rewarded when the visitors could not secure their line out, Horwood bursting through to pinch the ball and dive over the try line. Hunt's boot was a reliable as ever from a tricky angle to make it 10-7.

Then came Newbury's purple patch: the Blues' pack got right on top of the set piece and some ferocious running from Fi Sim, Lucy Mercer and Horwood gave Newbury a platform from which they were able to release their backs more easily. It took a few trial runs for the points to arrive, with wings Roxy Fauconnier and Sophie Dowson both going close before Gemma Thripp, making her debut on a rugby pitch, turned on her ferocious afterburners and scored the first of her brace near the corner. Then, just before half time, scrum half Jeannie Ivanov spotted some space for a box kick and Horwood was all over the chase, collecting a tricky bounce and scoring her second to give Newbury a 24-7 halftime lead (Hunt had made no mistakes with her place kicking).

The home side made a dream start to the second half when Thripp (who had clearly slipped a few jelly babies at half time and came back on the pitch even quicker) was released by Lucy Mercer almost from the restart. Mercer did very well to spot the space on an exposed left wing and Thripp did the rest, stepping two defenders to give Hunt an easy conversion.

But Drybrook had traveled a long way and there was no way they were heading back west without proving their worth. As their punchy pack started to gain some yards they were able to get a foothold in the game which eventually led to a very nervy 20 minutes as their talismanic captain scored two excellent solo tries - it could have been more if not for some excellent cover tackling from full back Lizzie Harris and Thripp.

Hunt settled Blue nerves with another perfect place kick after Mercer had won a penalty in front of the posts, but Drybrook came back again with a try from their powerful eight, and their centre's boot brought them within six points at 34-28. Enter Mason, who took control of the match once again and executed a series of beautiful clearances to allow Newbury to gain the territorial advantage, as well as releasing her back line at the right moments. It was from one of these releases that Emma Swinton almost went over the whitewash with a trademark barnstorming run at inside centre, and a determined Newbury ruck gave Megan Horwood the final word to secure Newbury's bonus point and her forward of the match award.

After two combative matches, Newbury sit second in Championship 2 - a testament to the hard work the coaching team has put in and the positive team ethic the team takes ontot he pitch week on week.

Scorers: Howrood (3), Thripp (2), Hunt (4 cons, 2 pens)
Back of the match: Meg Mason
Forward of the match: Megan Horwood