Sidcot v Winscombe, Monday 3 February
The Sidcot girls’ rugby team took part in their first competitive fixture against Winscombe last Monday. They were itching to play and put their hard work in training to use, with nerves running high amongst the team but full of excitement. The team consisted of a mixture of girls from Years 10-13, with Alicia De Wolfe leading the way as captain. Credit has to go to all the girls as they attended weeks of training in all weather conditions; the determination and dedication that they all showed was undeniable.
With Winscombe electing to receive the kick off, the match began with a brilliant drop kick by Meg Settle. The kick chase by Sidcot was excellent with tackles flying in from Una Wood, Diana Voronstova and Helena Ring. It was clear to see that the Wincscombe side had fielded an extremely strong and experienced team, as they managed to move the ball across the pitch to score in the corner. For the rest of the first half Sidcot defended with grit and determination, with some solid tackles being made from Emily Hullah, Lea Weissman and Alicia De Wolfe. The girls showed great promise in the contact areas, excellent rucking by Emily Pelton, Victoria Bukato and Antonia Matthies. Sidcot’s scrums were second to none providing a solid platform from which to attack off - credit must go to the front three - Emily Huallah, Emily Pelton and Olivia Brett - for showing outstanding strength and determination, with Alicia De Wolfe showing great composure to keep the ball safe at the back of the scrum. Unfortunately, Winscombe capitalised on some of Sidcot’s mistakes, leading to a few break-away tries to kick them a lead at the break.
The second half began with a new injection of energy, attacking down the slope after a very physical and exciting first half. The defensive line was solid with hard tackles and determined rucking from all of the team. After ten minutes Winscombe managed to break the line to score the first try of the second half. However, credit must be paid to all the girls, as not one head dropped throughout the game. Sidcot were under some pressure from Winsome over the next ten minutes, but Anya Cherepanova, Anna Kolle, Meg Settle and Ellie Clarke made some outstanding cover tackles. The Sidcot girls, still full of fire and desire to take the game to Winscombe, had a spell of great attacking rugby lead by Una Wood controlling the back line form fly-half; providing clean ball for Diana Voronstova and Helena Ring to punch holes in the Winscombe defences. With Winscombe on the back foot the Sidcot girls could sense a try coming. With great passing, Sophie Stopfer supplied a quick ball of which to attack from, allowing Henrietta Robison, Anthonia Kamlah and Emily Huallah to carry the ball on, taking three Winscombe players to stop them. Unfortunately for Sidcot the ball was knocked on and Wincombe won possession of the ball allowing them to score another break-away try. With the game coming to an end the Sidcot girls did everything they could to hold Winscombe back, however experience was on their side, allowing them to come out victorious on the day.
Overall the final score was not reflective of how hard the Sidcot girls worked. The team showed outstanding determination, passion and pride. Playing not only for the school but for each other. A special mention must go to Alicia De Wolfe for captaining the side, providing positive support and leading by example throughout the game and in training. The girls showed great promise, a great foundation on which to build on and prepare for their next fixture.
