Blues Back to Winning Ways

With the memory of unconverted overlaps fresh in their minds, there was no mistaking the Blues intent as they made their presence known from the off at Monks Lane.

Newbury had the best of possession and territory in the opening fifteen minutes, with good phase play pressing into Ringwood's twenty two.

From one such press, the visitors looked to score a lucky try against the run of play when a grubber for the line was picked up by their speediest player. However, the pace in Newbury's back three, and subsequent excellent work by fullback Harris at the breakdown nullified Ellingham's best chance of the game.

Soon back in possession, the Blues continued to work their way up the pitch. From a scrum just outside Ringwood's twenty two, Jemma Thripp broke the line with powerful running at outside centre, before the ball made its way to winger and back of the match Kirsty Kennedy, to open up her scoring account on debut for Newbury.

In attack, the home side were looking to run and distribute out wide, whilst in defence, the pressure was preventing Ringwood's running game from gaining territory, and forcing errors.

Kennedy's pace was causing a nuisance both on and off the wing, one foray up the middle gaining twenty metres and drawing numerous Ellingham players in attempt to halt her, before beautiful offloading in the Newbury ranks fell just short of the try line.

Newbury's second came from a scrum five metres out. Opting to go blind, the ball found powerful young winger Vanessa Kadziya, who crashed and drew in the defence, before the ball was snapped back to the open side to expose the overlap, Thripp running in the try.

Kadziya was next on the scoreboard herself, followed by Kennedy with her second of the day.

It seemed like the fifth was surely coming for Newbury, however, the phase play of the first half seemed to go a little astray in the third quarter. Despite a strong platform at scrum, the Blues seemed to be trying to force the bonus try.

As the clock wound down, the Blues drove themselves deep into Ringwood's territory. Some of the handling, and patience of the first half reappeared. With two minutes left, the ball found the hands of number eight Kat Smith with a beautifully timed pass, to cut through the Ellingham line, touch down under the posts, and allow Monks Lane to breath a sigh of relief. Chloe Hunt closed the game with the successful conversion.

The Blues next face Old Elthamians in the last sixteen of the cup, next Sunday 20th January, at home.

Tries:
K. Kennedy 2
J. Thripp 1
V. Kadziya 1
K. Smith 1

Conversions:
C. Hunt 1