Fantastic Display from Chippenham u18 Girls

Chippenham Girls host Nailsea & Backwell for the first time

An absolutely gorgeous day for the first game against a new opposition, Nailsea and Backwell and what a game it was.

The game started at 12:40 with N&B kicking off to Chippenham. Immediately there was a great display from the forwards, a big drive from Lani to take the ball to the 22 before being brought down, the ball was picked up by Poppy who made another great drive just short of the try line. the move was then completed by Emily forcing her way through the defence to ground the ball for the first try (see featured photo).
5:0

N&B Kick off long and the ball is gathered safely, Chippenham keep control of the ball and work their way up towards the half way line. Oumou makes a great drive and breaks through the 1st defence before passing out to Abby who carries the ball to the opposition 10yd line before being caught and passing the ball out to Jess. Jess then makes a great run down the left wing with enough pace left to turn in to drop the ball under the posts for the second try, making it easy for her sister to convert.
12:0

Chippenham again keep control of the ball from the kick but unfortunately during one of the rucks Ella takes a big injury to her shoulder and has to leave the pitch, luckily no bones broken but after an X-ray the hospital have diagnosed a sprained shoulder ligament (we wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her back on the pitch when fully recovered).

The next passage of play is dominated by Chippenham, Orla carries the ball into a ruck, Oumou brings it out and passes it out to the backs, after several passes Nadia sees a gap and runs a straight 30 yards to place the ball between the posts for try number 3. Converted by Jess.
19:0

The next score started with a great run from Mollie brought down on the 22, the forwards quick in support take control and together with Oumou, Poppy, Lani and Emily W drive for the line for a try from Poppy. Missed conversion.
24:0

A scrum to Chippenham on the half way line sets the girls up for the next try, Faith passes out to Nadia who runs straight through the defence and powers down the pitch to drop the ball right between the posts again. Conversion missed.
29:0

The half ends with Megan receiving a long pass from a line run leaving her in a bit of space to run from about the 10yd line. Megan with space is only going to end one way, she makes a measured run keeping an eye on the chasing defence and puts the ball down under the posts. Jess is unlucky with the conversion hitting the post
34:0

Half Time.

The second half saw Nailsea and Backwell grow in confidence and as a result the game became a little more even with more play going in their favour and their defence being tighter and stronger. However, after 10 minutes of back and forth play Mollie makes a break from near halfway and sprints home for a lovely try between the post.
39:0

Again some good defence from N&B and a breakaway that looked dangerous but was stopped on the Chippenham 22. Following that the ball went out to the backs and a great display of passing and support play saw the girls move up the pitch in one passage. Abby is held up on the line but the team are in support and drive across the line for the try.
44:0

A few minutes after the restart Ellie makes a great run through the defence making it to the 22 before being caught. The play stays in the opposition half with both teams working hard, eventually from a ruck Faith get the ball out to Jess who finds a gap and runs in the last try under the posts. Megan converts to make it
51:0

There were some great drives and chances from girls in the last 10 minutes but Nailsea and Backwell kept their heads up to the end and defended strongly to deny Chippenham any more points.

Chippenham girls can feel rightly proud of their performance this weekend, they showed great skills and teamwork in equal measure. Nailsea and Blackwell can also be proud of their performance, they played with respect and discipline and are great ambassadors for their club!
It's very encouraging to have a few new teams to play against this year and we look forward to meeting them again in the near future.