The first game of 2020 for the Demons was away at Sleaford, the rain looked to be set in for the day but managed to clear up before kick off. This meant the pitch was very sludgy, wet and heavy to run on.

Kicking off first the Demons instantly applied pressure causing a knock on in Sleafords half. On the front foot the Demons went straight into attack and tried some back moves to break the line. Defensive efforts from Sleaford resulted in a turnover. Sleaford tried to play out of their half but was stopped by a wall of blue, hard work in defence put pressure on the opposition and allowed the Demons to win back possession through a knock on.

The backs ran an array of attacking lines trying to manipulate the defence of Sleaford, many times breaking the first line or beating them on the wing but the scramble defence meant there was no clear line and cover tackles stopped the backs from running in. That and the fact that there was no solid ground under foot so slipping was part of every play.

The movement of the defenders and the instructions coming from the half backs allowed the attack to move up field and soon the Demons were only meters from the try line. Interplay with backs and forwards allowed continuity. Good forward support allowed them to power over for the opening score. Try scorer Ash, conversion unsuccessful, score 5-0.

Getting straight back into attack after kick off the Demons settled into a rhythm, working for each player and stepping up. But the mud started saying it's part, finding it difficult to get a foot hold meant rucks were not as stable as we would have liked. This resulted in the Demons giving away a few penalties and allowed Sleaford the ball. Sleaford kicked for the touch line from the penalty but the kick was not long enough, the Demons plucked the ball out of the air and mounted another attack.

Some quick picks from "Tiny" (Amanda) caught Sleaford still trying to organise a line. This allowed for some direct running from Beth, Carrie, Katie, Kelly, Chloe and more. All supporting each other made sure the ball came back to the Demons and allowed more link play. This time the line was broken and the whitewash crossed by Louise. Conversion unsuccessful. 10-0

The second half started with a menacing run from Ash and it took 4 people to bring her down. This pulled the defence in and more of the same from the Demons allowed the release of the winger Kath. Moving the ball from left to right allowed Lauren to make ground and offload out the back to Gemma who moved the ball on to Ny. Unable to break away from the cover defence meant more rucks for the Demons but with arriving support the attack continued and soon the Demons were over the line but with an unclear view the ball was called held up. 5 metre scrum to the Demons.

With the platform set the backs were strike ready and got the ball out to the wing but again cover defence stopped the assault 1 metre out. This is where the forwards stepped up and took route 1 - the direct line. It was Katie diving over the pile of players from the 3 previous rucks to dot down that saw the 3rd try. 15-0

Kick off brought another wave of attack but it was not easy to make ground. The strong and fast defence from Sleaford made it difficult but the Demons now knew what to do. With more crash balls and then the backs linking up the Demons found Ny in space and she ran the ball in for a 40 metre try. Conversion successful by Lisa 22-0

The second half seemed to pass in a flash, but before the final whistle the Demons had one last hurrah. The ball made way to Louise at 12 and in her fashion (with a little helping hand, literally) she powered and spun her way over the line besting 6 defenders and nearly taking out the post too. Conversion successful from Lisa. Final score 29-0

Players Player - Tiny
Captains Player - Beth