The match also featured an unusual reward for a popular try scorer.

The fixture had been hastily arranged to help the Harlequins Ladies rack up sufficient fixtures to ensure admission to the Women’s RFU Leagues for next season. The Thornbees were a bit short on players but Clevedon Ladies answered a call for help and sent up six of their players for the match.

The Thornbees went ahead in the second minute when Charlotte Williams raced over as the Bees attacked from a scrum on the Harlequins’ ‘22’. She converted her try but narrowly missed adding the extras to a try from Gemma Tyrrell, who had supported an attack at pace. A few minutes later Gemma scored again and after ten minutes the Thornbees were 17-0 ahead.

The Ladies were playing at pace and the outstanding skipper Sadie Giles was the next to score, closely followed by one from Laura Panting who showed great determination in scoring. The conversion put the Bees 29-0 up.

The sixth try came close to half time when after Sadie Giles and Laura Panting had made good ground Bobbie Jackson came in on a great line to score close to the posts. Charlotte added the extras, but the Thornbees still had time to score again before half time and the Jackson-Williams duo scored try and conversion to make the score 43-0 at the break.

The scoring continued with Sadie Giles running in for another try within the first minute of the second half. Charlotte’s conversion brought up the half century.

Bobbie Jackson took a quick penalty to complete her hat-trick then a few minutes later Sadie took another quick penalty and Bobbie shrugged off a high tackle to run in for another. The conversion made it 62-0.

The industrious Lindsay Broughton was then helped off the field with a shoulder injury sustained in a heavy tackle.

With the hour-mark approaching Bobbie Jackson raced clear from halfway and quickly left the defence for dead. She was pursued all the way by the Thornbees replacement prop Cath Fishlock. Then as Bobbie ran around to ground the ball between the posts she spotted Cath bearing down on her, presented her with the ball and Cath scored the try. Her reward was a proposal of marriage from head coach Ian Maunder, who did the decent thing by waiting until after the match to get down on one knee. He would have made a spectacle of himself having to be helped back to his feet from such a precarious position. The players were aware that if Cath scored a try Ian would do the deed and made sure it would happen!

Charlotte Williams’ conversion went largely unnoticed amongst the celebrations of the players but Thorns had cranked the score up to 69-0. A few minutes later Hayley Hindmarsh took a heavy tackle and although there was over fifteen minutes left the referee blew for the end of the match.

With the matches now definitely finished, the Thornbees could look back on 2017-18 with pride and satisfaction. Thirteen matches, nine wins, 61 tries and an engagement. What a season!

Thornbees scorers: tries – Bobbie Jackson (4), Sadie Giles (2), Gemma Tyrrell (2), Laura Panting, Charlotte Williams and Cath Fishlock; conversions – Charlotte Williams (7)

Team:
Claire Brealey; Maria Roynon, Charlotte Williams, Lauryn Clayton, Gail Daniel; Gemma Tyrrell, Bobbie Jackson; Lindsay Broughton, Ellis Whitelaw, Julie Hutchings, Hayley Hindmarsh, Pauline Barrett, Sadie Giles (c), Ellie Steer, Laura Panting.
Replacements: Cath Fishlock, Tina Pincott, Lou Oakey, Jo Dack, Liv Haley, Jess Case-Morris, Sophie Bull, Pauline Archer

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