Top of the Table clash ends in defeat for brave Havant

Havant women were ready to welcome North Bristol to the lane in a top of the table clash on Sunday. After tasting defeat the last time, these two sides met, the Havant 22 had nothing to lose and were eager to show North Bristol how they had improved this season.
The first half started well with Havant showing total domination in the scrum and playing some brilliant rugby. It took 15 minutes until North Bristol managed to shoot round the Havant defence and put the first points on the board. This started a trend for the away team who scored another two tries, complete with conversions, and a penalty kick through the posts to give them a huge 24-0 lead. Keeping their heads up, Havant managed to get the ball to top try scorer Cerys Ralph, who dotted it down over the line collecting the first points for the home team. North Bristol retaliated with a final converted try of their own before the half time whistle leaving Havant trailing 31-5 after 40 minutes.

After some encouraging words from the inspiring coaching team, the Havant women set up for the second half. The determination and grit that have made the Havant team a force to be reckoned with in their new league was clear from the whistle. Captain Natasha Bullock swiftly scored herself two tries to the excited cheer of the crowd and Abi Pearson quickly converted these to put Havant back into the game. North Bristol came back again with a try off the line out before Samantha King finished off some fantastic team play for 5 points of her own. The Havant pack weren’t finished with North Bristol either and demolished their scrum with a 5m push over try. Cerys Ralph found some space on the outside to score the final points of them game bringing the score to 36-45 to North Bristol. Although it was a loss for the team, it was a win for women’s rugby at Havant. With the huge support of the crowd and the highest level of the women’s game so far, it was an inspiring for both supporter and players. Havant Women look towards their final game of the season on the 14th of April where they will welcome Ivybridge to the lane with the first ever pregame lunch!