l to r back row-: Greg Richards-backs coach, Chloe Tullett, Tanya Webber, Jennie Ingersent, Liz Wyle, Sara Williams, Amy Alford, Chelsea Bird, Hana White, Karl King- helper, Steph Cox, Charley Wright, Emily White, Sarah Ashton, Claire Knighton, Claire Vickery, Amy Somerton, Adrian Watts-forwards coach
l to r front row-: Sarah Geijsels, Charlotte Green, Kaima Troake, Liz Richards, Jemma Parish, Sian Thomas, Molly Hussell
other players not present-: Dolly Boyce, Kirsty Barker, Hatti Keeling, Chloe Fletcher, Hannah Fraser, Cathy Casey, Rose Gleghorn, Kate Burt.

EXONIAN AT TOPSHAM LADIES V CULLOMPTON LADIES 12-45

On Sunday afternoon in the presence of a large crowd of supporters, Cullompton Ladies routed Topsham by seven tries to two to clinch their South West I league title and if they decide to take on the challenge, could be competing in the third tier of Women’s National Rugby Union next season, crossing swords with the likes of Bath Ladies and Wimbledon. The win was sweet revenge for Cully who were pipped by two points in the home leg with Topsham but now lead the table by twelve points, a gap which the Exeter side cannot close even with their two games in hand.

Topsham drew first blood from early pressure just outside the Cully twenty two where their formidable eight, Meg Coombes, took on the ball and burst through a couple of tackles on her way to touch down in the corner. Flanker, Corinne Walsh’s touchline conversion attempt fell short leaving the score at 5-0 in the third minute to Exonian but Topsham’s lead was short lived. On six minutes Cully almost got on the board when winger Sian Thomas was brought down inches from the line. Thomas held on to the ball but with two consecutive penalties Topsham’s failure to clear away from their twenty two with the wind behind them highlighted their lack of a kicker whereas the visitor’s full back Charlotte Green managed a conversion into the wind of a try by Cully blindside, Jemma Parish.

The Parish try in the tenth minute was to be the first of seven which were scored regularly throughout the game, all of which were well constructed using the full range of rugby skills. The tenth minute try started from a Cully lineout outside the home twenty two. Prop Claire Knighton threw in to open side and captain Amy Alford who set up the drive but it was hard work against a heavier side and the ball was moved wide to Green. Green’s break was stopped just short of the line but support was on hand and scrum half Charley Wright popped up the ball with Parish making no mistake on the catch and drive.

After five minutes of mid field play during which the scrums seemed fairly even, periods of Topsham possession were blighted by Cully line speed in defence and they often conceded ground. After a fourteenth minute Cullompton scrum in their own half a barnstorming break by Alford to the Topsham ten which sucked in numerous defenders, was quickly recycled and fly half Liz Richards wove her way through the broken field and was tackled just short of the line but Cully teamwork triumphed again as the ball moved to Green to touch down. The conversion flew wide but Cully were opening a gap in the score at 5-12 on sixteen minutes.

A rash of penalties conceded by Cully turned the spotlight on their defence as they were confined to their twenty two and contested two five metre scrums. The strong breeze precluded clearance kicking and it was breaks by Green and lock Claire Vickery that took play out of the twenty two for the first time in six minutes where Cully were awarded a scrum. From the set piece a fine display of handling by centre Sara Williams, Richards, hooker Molly Hussell, prop Steph Cox, Thomas and centre Chloe Tullett ended in a Topsham penalty but their penalty lineout was brilliantly turned over by Alford, Williams and Green combined to put the ball in the hands of winger Emily White and White ran a blistering seventy metres to score behind the woodwork for an easy conversion by Green and a score of 5-19 on twenty six minutes

As the half neared the break a Topsham scrum on halfway was vigorously contested and Alford pounced on a loose ball popping it up to Green who drew the defender and put White away again. Loud cheering accompanied her up the touchline which became even louder when she was not held in a tackle and almost scored. As usual support was on hand and Wright popped up the ball for Richards who had work left to do before scoring by the posts for Green to convert for 5-26 on thirty three minutes.

Very little of the second half was played in Cully territory as the savvy Green with the wind behind her, put boot to ball at every opportunity rapidly undoing any progress made by the Topsham forwards who were adept at the catch and drive and put a number of phases together on several occasions. Although further Cully scores looked inevitable it took Topsham by surprise that on a rare occasion that they almost reached the Cully twenty two a fine tackle by Cox on their inside centre gave Cully possession and the ball was passed to replacement winger Sarah Ashton who showed a clean pair of heels to score by the posts with another easy conversion for Green for 5-33 on fifty six minutes. Eleven minutes later Ashton made it a brace from a Cully scrum on the opposition five. Cully eight Liz Wyle picked up from the base, the ball moved through Richards and Tullett to Ashton who brought up the forty for Cully when the Green conversion was taken into account.

Topsham salvaged a little pride when Coombes broke over the line for her second try three minutes later from a scrum on the Cully twenty two. Hanna Dawes kicked a fine conversion for 12-40 but it was Cully who had the last word when Wyle picked up from the base of a scrum for a well deserved classic eight’s try in the corner with just seconds left on the clock the final score was 12-45

The game was a very sporting encounter and Cully supporters were quick to notice the concern of a Topsham player when near the end, Cully’s Molly Hussell lay winded behind a cleared out ruck whilst play was still in progress. There are occasions when a losing team who have not played badly are not totally downhearted when losing to a side who were perhaps a little better and this seemed to be the case as the Topsham players whilst still on the pitch, cheerfully sang Happy Birthday to one of their number and responded happily to enquiries as to the names of some of their team although their coach looked as though he could have done with a cuddle.