Very much mixed feelings for the Ladies after their trip to the Vale of Lune 10s Tournament last Sunday. Pride for qualifying for the Cup and giving a battling performance against Premier 1 hosts Vale of Lune Ladies in the semi final and dismay at losing centre Emma Gander and hooker Lesley Kenny to injury.
The first Group game saw the Ladies pitted against Carlisle … runaway winners of North 1 this season. As the Ladies warmed up with a session of moaning about the weather, comparing hangovers and last minute cigarettes Carlisle furiously went through a routine that would have left half the Ladies dead on the floor.
Having won North West 3 with tactics based on the speed and mobility of just four players it was hardly surprising that they came unstuck against Carlisle. As one Lady complained, “They’re all bloody wingers !” as though using fitness and pace to win matches was somehow taking an unfair advantage.
Playing exactly how Coach Sam Botfield wants the Ladies to play … not going to ground, keeping the ball alive … Carlisle took the Ladies to bits. Despite some brave defence Carlisle built up a 17 – 0 lead and were cruising. Skipper and scrum half O’Malley saw the writing on the wall, had a dizzy spell and pleaded to go off. Coach Botfield, in loco parentis, did exactly what her Dad would have done and told her to get on with it. According to her Dad, she’s been concussed for most of her life anyway.
Fly half Jenny Leitch, Ormskirk’s Player of the Tournament, showed Carlisle that the Ladies weren’t entirely toothless with a fine try. But Carlisle drew away again to win 24 – 5. In truth it should have been more but Carlisle’s inability to recognise a simple overlap was almost perverse. It was to cost them dearly in their Cup semi final against Altrincham Kersal when, although clearly the more complete side, they blew chance after chance.
Knowing that they had to win their next two matches to get into the Cup the Ladies buckled down to a serious warm up of Ring a ring of Roses and Pass the Parcel.
Thoroughly prepared they took on Preston Grasshoppers WRUFC.
The Ladies forwards, although not programmed to cover every blade of grass, have done their job this season. They’ve won the ball. When the Ladies were able to scrummage hooker Lesley Kenny has been outstanding, unfailingly coming up with burgled ball. Equally, wing / lock Gail ‘Don’t you dare touch me, I’ve just had my hair done !’ Kendall has tapped down some lovely possession at the line out. Also some rubbish, but you have to keep the scrum half on her toes, don’t you ?
With plenty of ball and a resolute defence the Ladies were able to overcome Hopper’s early 5 – 0 lead with three tries from winger Kendall for a 15 – 5 victory.
Kendall is an enigma. Faced with a rugged bruiser bearing down on her she will risk all …nail job included … to bring them to ground. But, given possession and the chance to run at the same said bruiser she will wimp out and shuffle the ball to someone else before she gets within 20m of them. However, show her a gap and … to quote legendary BBC sports’ reporter David Coleman … she will open her legs and show her class.
It was inevitable that the characterisation of centre Emma Gander in these columns as some kind of indestructible Wonder Woman … Doombringer …would end in hubris. Half way through the Hopper’s match Gander went down and stayed down. As with all superheroes Gander has a weakness. With Achilles it was his heel, with Superman it was Kryptonite and with Emma it’s her ankle. She has turned it over more times than Kenny has turned over a new leaf. Out of the Tournament, Gander fumed on the sideline for an hour while, presumably, a team of oxen dragged an ambulance from Garstang.
Losing Gander didn’t stop the Ladies from savaging Colne & Nelson in their final group game. O’Malley, recovered from “swoonin’ like a gel”, scored a hat-trick. Leitch converted one and then grabbed two tries for herself in a 27 – 5 victory. That put the Ladies second and into the Cup semi final
You could tell by the way the Ladies muttered, “Do we have to play them ?” that they were relishing playing Premier 1 Vale of Lune. But they buckled down to it and got lots of support from the Stand as the underdogs … or should that be underbitches ? … and for a brave performance.
If Carlisle were a team of wingers, Lune were a team of open side flankers. That the Ladies kept the score down to 0 -12 in the first half was a tribute to their courage and tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds.
Nothing epitomised the Ladies bravery more than mumsy centre Lynn Davison. Three years ago, at 34, she had never dreamed of playing rugby, yet here she was battling to keep out Lune’s flyers. With spirit like hers people will see a lot more from these Ormskirk Ladies in the seasons to come.
Report by Sam Botfield
