Not too long ago, the Women’s XV at Crowborough Rugby Club made history by fielding their first team in over ten years. This weekend, they faced off against another local side from the inner warrior leagues. Still feeling the impact of their inaugural match, the players were eager to jump back in and put their newly sharpened skills to the test.
The weather had nearly put pay to the match as todays opponents were supposed to travel to Steel Cross but with very soggy pitches in Crowborough, the ladies battled the traffic and headed over to a marginally less soggy Burgess Hill.

Crowborough kicked off and piled on the pressure from Eva Murray’s kick, forcing a nervous clearance from Burgess Hill. Natasha Beesley collected the ball at halfway and charged forward but was eventually turned over at the 22. The Crows set their defence, allowing Donna Woodgate an opportunity to smash her opposite number and fellow flanker, Laura Russell, was on her shoulder to win back possession for Crowborough.
First scrum of the game went to Crowborough and although there was an almighty shove from Burgess Hill the Crowborough ladies retained possession and Hailey Gorringe opted to pick and go and off she set on one of her trademark unstoppable carries. Supported again by the 6, 7 pairing of Woodgate and Russell, Crowborough set up a textbook ruck and secured attacking ball. Time for backs to get involved with Cerys Martin being in position of first receiver this time around but she was stopped in her tracks by a double tackle and took a heavy knock early on.

Such a short time had passed since their first game but the improvement witnessed by fairly large travelling supporting contingent was immeasurable. Phase after phase of protected breakdown had the Crowborough ladies looking liked seasoned rugby players.

Under a wave of constant attacking pressure, Burgess Hill struggled to contain the red and white tsunami. Burgess Hill gave away a penalty inside their 22 which saw vice captain Gorringe tap and go but was held up just short of the try line. Scrum half Murray then saw a gap but was denied a follow up snipe from the last game. Resolute defence from the Black widows look to deny Crowborough an early try but with they couldn’t quite cope with the pressure as Murray found Russell who offloaded to flyhalf Jessica Wood to stretch and dot down over the line to score an early opening try for the team and her first in Crowborough colours. Four minutes in and the visiting new comers were five points to the good!

Burgess Hill restarted the game which saw birthday girl Katherine Watts (what better way to spend your birthday!) immediately return fire down the right wing. With a blink of the eye and the help of some amazingly quick hands through the back we were on the left wing with Karolina McGloin. A trademark deep and straight run from Captain Sharon Green saw the red and white machines punch through and continue to make metres.

The team work on display was humbling to behold. The support each of the ladies were showing for each other was outstanding and the offload game was truly on point as each tackle that Burgess Hill bravely put in was met with offload after offload. When it wasn’t offloaded the breakdown was flooded with Crowborough players. It was only the slimey ball being knocked on which stopped Crowborough’s progress and which gace the Black Widows defence some much needed respite.

Burgess Hills scrum was powerful and this is one area where in the early part of game dominated. They won their own scrum and used their very strong 13 to run themselves out of trouble to further relieve the pressure from their try line only to be thwarted by, what is becoming a trademark Nadine Reading dominant tackle. The defensive line of Crowborough refused to budge. Bouyed by their previous experience against East Grinstead, newbies Chloe Lewin and Jo Brooker both putting in big hits against an all-black attack meaning they couldn’t get out of their own half and the pressure forced a knock on which the Crows regathered via McGloin. Then the teamwork really stepped up a gear – Cerys Martin tackled, secured my McGloin and Beesley, Murray passed out to Jessica Wood, short pop to Louise Greenaway, tip pass to Russell, Woogate, Reading, then out to the winger where Watts was off on a charge with a sublime line and only stopped by a last minute shirt grab. Ball picked up by hooker Katie Jupp who ran it hard and straight at the defence, secured by Reading and Green to release a pick and go from Gorringe who was tantalisingly close to the line. Murray twitched right which sent the home defence into a spin as she stepped left to notch another classic scrum half snipers try. Crowborough 10 points up within 10 minutes!

The resulting restart was plucked out of the air, on the run by Green who cut through the Burgess Hill defence like a hot knife through butter. More expert hands on display as the ball was shipped out to the right wing for another lung busting run by birthday girls Watts. Text book ruck sealing on display from diminutive centre Martin and Gorringe allowed Murray to hit a pod of Lewin and Greenaway make more metres. Another pod of Brooker and Woodgate this time knocking on the black wall of weary defenders. Wood to Russell, offloaded again in the tackle to number 9 Murray, who spread the play this time out to the left wing for McGloin to pressure her opposite number. She was tackled by one and drew another defender where she released Jupp to run another hard and straight line into an almost empty back field. She was expertly stopped by the lone full back only for our own speedy 15 to pick up the ball uncontested and run the ball in for our third try in 12 minutes!! Amazing work from our ladies.

This outstanding show of sparkling handling and terrific support play had kicked the home team into action. They shifted the ball through the backs brilliant and went from kick off to Borough’s red zone almost instantly. It was only a joint effort of Beesley and McGloin taking their winger into touch which kept the scoreboard unbothered.

The next phase of attack came but Borough held firm with great shots coming from Reading, Green and Martin resulting in another red and white line out. A couple of attempts to clear the lines hadn’t quite cut the mustard and the BH ladies had the wind up them as they pushed and pushed and pushed but still couldn’t get through. Every single red and white shirt was putting in a shift to keep the black wall from going over. The pressure nearly told when they did go over the line but the ball was dropped and even without the use of TMO, the referee was sure that the grounding wasn’t good enough so still BH couldn’t get on the scoreboard. Mounting pressure from the home team did the job in the end as the went over to start to peg back the visitors 5 – 15.

The festively dressed candy caned ladies might have looked sweet but they were anything but as they chased down the restart. The Burgess Hill 13 back on the ball slipped a few tackles but she couldn’t escape from the recently introduced Erin McArdle, who went about her usual mode of destroying anyone who was unlucky enough to find themselves on the ball. This time there was no support and Martin was free to jackal and win the turnover and push on. Burgess Hill, with some slick handling of their own then came back at borough down their left wing only to be stopped by the family trademark of a Russell takedown.
Into the last few minutes of the half and everyone was getting tired and the pitch muddier and muddier. A perfectly executed line out with Beesley pop the ball off the top to Murray, to Wood and then into Martin with another straight crash ball taking many flailing defenders with her.
First half ended with both teams looking like they had already played a full 80! Crowborough up by 10 after a brilliant half of rugby. 5 – 15. Half time team talk was fairly straight forward from Head Coach Adam Bavin “score within the next ten minutes” …..easy!

A few changes at half time saw Becky Eyres and Lara Frank eagerly enter the fray and Lara immediately doing what she does best and hunting down the loose ball. McArdle and Martin joining forces in the middle of the park with Erin being used as the battering ram and then Cerys expertly protecting the breakdown. Next few phases saw Eyres getting stuck in an singled handedly clearing out 2 black widows from the resulting ruck.

Katie Jupp with another deep, direct run through defenders drew a penalty for a high tackle. Gorringe again on the tap and go released Frank but the pass was judged as forward. The following scrum was a big one for BH as they put on a big shove and cleared their lines.
With the ball back in borough hands, Beesley, who had a fantastic day under the high balls, returned another kick 30 metres by ducking and diving through tackles turning the orange socked defenders inside out until she was eventually brough to ground protected by a trio of Frank, Green and Martin.
An errant knock on meant that Burgess hill were back in possession but they didn’t look comfortable as Eyres, back in a more familiar red and white kit, was making a huge nuisance of herself and hitting tackle after tackle and forced BH to clear their lines. Alas, who was under the kick – Beesley! This time though stopped in her tracks but a superbly timed tackle. Not to worry though as Lara Frank on hand again to clear out the hopefully defender.
A Borough scrum was quickly turned by the more dominant black and orange pack saw Murray call the steep attacking line up to defend. The BH scrum half broke, sensing freedom and a big stretch of home greenery in front of her only for her dreams of notching another try dashed into tiny pieces with another huge hit from Eyres followed up by another turnover from Frank.
Then we witnessed what can only be described as liquid rugby as we went from Murray to Wood to Martin to Green to then see the perfect inside line run by Natahsa Beesley, take the ball in full flight just inside the Burgess Hill half to put another score on the board. This try was one of the best of the day as it showcased what a team game rugby is. Ball was hard won back by the forwards, distributed to fleet of foot backs from one touchline to the other. Superb stuff on show from the Crowborough ladies. But how long was on the clock I hear you ask, well dear reader, I am pleased to say that this try was scored with 8.34 on the clock so the well rehearsed and extensive team talk had inspired the ladies to get another score before ten minutes had passed. This time Murray slotted the conversation to make the score 5 – 22.

Into the depths of the second half (thank god I hear you cry) and the pressure starts to build again for Crowborough as the Black Widows of Burgess Hill seem to muster more heart and go again at trying to batter down the red and white wall. Penalty after penalty watched the Crows retreat until Beesley managed to not only clear the lines but has the wherewithal to re gather the kick after their full back slipped.
Murray was next up to produce a lengthy clearance kick only for play to be bought back for a penalty in our favour. Beesley nudged us back up the field with a good punt into touch. The resulting lineout won and secured by a combination of Greenaway and Frank let the trademark silky hands of Crowborough loose as Eyres combined with Wood and then Martin with another crashing run resulting in a borough penalty.
This time McArdle took it upon herself to run it up with Gorringe and Frank in support.

Another late burst of effort from Burgess Hill meant that we were back on the back foot but the ladies didn’t let is phase them at all. Tackle after tackle, after tackle went in from the whole team as they were pinned on their own try line. This onsluaght was ended as the referree blew his whistle and awarded Crowborouh a penalty for Burgess Hill holding on to the ball. a Well deserved penalty after some heroic defending.
It is rumoured that Crowborough’s short assistant coach may have ruptured a vocal chord celebrating the defensive effort!

As the game ended both teams came together as one big rugby family and celebrate together. Plaudits went out to the Crowborough player of the match Hailey Gorringe who tackled and carried the ball superbly all day. The forward of the match went to an equally deserved Katie Jupp whose tackling, straight running and rucking was stand out, and back of the game went to Cerys Martin for her ability to crash through a defensive line and is able to take about 5 defenders with her and I think she turned the ball over a number of times although I dint count but it must have been around 6 or 7 times!!

For those who have hung on this far and are still with me, I salute you.

Every player poured soul and grit onto the field, radiating power, pride, and grace with every movement. What the coaches and supporters bore witness to on this day was something far greater than sport. Something that transcends a game in a park. It was a team, forged in adversity, their scars from a gruelling first match now transformed into unbreakable bonds.
Together, they stood.
Unyielding.
One heartbeat, side by side, prepared to defy any fate that dared challenge them.
Together.
United in triumph.