2nd put in strong performance to score 8 tries

Novos ladies traveled to Bishop Auckland, confident off the back of a good win at Creighton the previous week, with a young squad studded with experienced players to lend a steadying hand were ready to play ‘their’ rugby.

A short sharp warm up led by coach Carlos Correia, a late arrival from skipper Emma Clement after ‘Lewie’ the Lupo left her stranded on the A1 and Novos were ready to kick off. Lauren ‘Dubai’ Roberts sent the ball high to Bishop Auckland where a wall of red and black were arriving on scene to pressurise the opposition.

It was clear Bishop Auckland’s forwards were running the show, but locks Jen Atkinson and Hannah Pollard relished the chance to get stuck in with big hits and some clever rucking Novos were back in possession. A big hit to skipper Emma Clement saw her leave the field with a nose injury, Novos dropping to 14 men were unphased.

Number 8 Daphne De Crackers showed great pace and footwork to break the line and cross the whitewash for Novos first try of the game, should she not have forgotten to put the ball down in two hands before a sharp Bishop defence knocked the ball away. A strong scrum and quick steal eventually allowed the No 8 to power over the line and dot the ball down, in two hands this time. No extras added.

Novos were strong from the restart, steady under pressure from a tight Bishop defence allowed Back Row Bandit Ella Strachan to create space in the midfield with some sensational footwork. Bishop on the back foot and space out the back Dubai sent the ball downfield, the bounce in favour of Novos going into touch on the 5m. A strong steal from Esther ‘Straight outta’ Crompton supplied Eleanor ‘Pocket Rocket’ Hewson the ball to power over the Bishop defence, strong carries again from the forwards and a quick ball out wide from lock Jen Atkinson allowed Elle Bloor to cross over the line.

Some poor discipline from the girls in black and red gave Bishop the chance to play some attacking rugby, big carriers pressured the defensive line and lock turned wing Lydia Cowell saw her chance for a quick steal and a break down the line to show off some impressive pace with her efforts eventually resulting in a try under the posts.

Scrums were a common occurrence throughout the game, despite having the smaller pack on the day the front row remained unfaltering with Sal Fitzpatrick and Elle Hewson providing a solid platform for Hannah Seddon to whip the ball back where it belonged, into Novos hands.

The match took a break following a serious injury on the first team pitch saw the game moved to a ¾ pitch, despite the extended break Novos were ready to go again. With Cathy ‘Mosher’ Foster supplying fast ball to the likes of Hannah Davis Novos were back in the game, Dubai once again saw space out the back and put a perfectly weighted grubber kick through, unfortunately ‘Butter Fingers’ Bloor could not take the opportunity to score.

Novos from a strong scrum were quick to steal back the ball, play maker Dubai seeing space in the midfield supplied the ball to centre Elle to straighten things up and send the ball out the back door to back row turned winger Esther Crompton to dot down in the corner.

Novos scored 8 tries come the final whistle, a great team effort and an enjoyable day for all.

Forward and Back of the match going to Ella Strachan and Lydia ‘wannabe winger’ Cowell.

We wish all the best for the development of Bishops team and a quick recovery of your team mate.