Match report:
Chew Valley Cats v Penryn Ladies
Sunday 26th September
Penryn Ladies showed what pride and passion in the badge meant today, travelling all the way to Chew Valley with only 14 players to miss out on the win by the narrowest of margins.
From kick off, Penryn showed just how much they wanted the win, taking the ball from Chew Valley’s kick off straight back at the home team, where they managed to keep position in their half for the opening thirty minutes of the match. Phase after phase, Penryn attacked inching ever closer to the try line, only to be stopped short by some solid defence from the home side.
The pressure Penryn put on Chew Valley showed in the number of penalties they gave away, which allowed the Cornish side’s forwards to drive through time after time, being held up once before number 8 Beth Hampton dived over to claim the first try, which captain Lauren Chenoweth successfully converted.
Chew Valley quickly regrouped and chased the kick off well, putting Penryn under pressure for the first time. This ultimately led to the visitors giving away their first penalty of the match. From this Chew Valley were able to capitalise on their extra player to pass the ball down the hands to score on the outside, a try that was also converted, taking things level again.
The home side caught Penryn off guard, to run in another quick try straight from kick off, which again was converted. This was the wake up Penryn needed and from then on the fight in them showed. They dug deep to hold the home side out to deny any further score for the remainder of the half.
Second half showed just what a determined side Penryn can be. Going down in numbers further to injury in the forwards, the visiting scrum still continued to hold its own and a series of individual breaks, strong lines of running and solid forward drives finally lead to Lauren Chenoweth finding space to go over in the corner. Sadly she was unable to add the conversion so the depleted Penryn side remained two points short of the draw.
The remainder of the half saw Penryn go down to 11 against 15 but they refused to give up till the final whistle, putting in big hits, taking the ball to them in attack and continuing to match them in the scrum despite being two players short in the pack. The final score 14-12 Penryn coming away with a bonus point.
To take a side of just 14 players away, many of whom were first timers for Penryn or out of position, and come within two points of the home team is a phenomenal achievement and shows what a passionate, strong team unit this Penryn Ladies side are.
With so much positivity to take from this first league match, Penryn are excited for next weekend Super Saturday event when they take on Topsham Ladies at home on Saturday 2nd October kicking off at 1.30pm before the Senior Men's team match, alongside home games for the Saracens and Colts as part of the clubs 150th year celebrations.
The ladies will begin preparations for their next league fixture at training this Thursday, 6:30pm, Penryn Rugby Club. To find out more follow us on Instagram @Penryn_ladiesrfc Facebook @PenrynLadiesRugby and
Twitter @PenrynLadiesRFC
