Falmouth Ladies braved the Cornish highways to visit High House for a long anticipated home fixture. Both teams presently compete in the Inner Warrior Series and had a good blend of ages and experiences in their side. The opening twenty minutes saw Kingsbridge play a tight game and some vintage Jemma Jewkes driving saw the pack trundle through their Falmouth counterparts. The ball broke free for an impressively speedy Maddie Grant to charge through and dot down. The home team may have thought at this point that they were in for a relatively easy afternoon but Falmouth thought differently by putting on a 20 minute display of solid forwards pressure. Unable to get out of their half, the Kingsbridge team tackled ferociously and accurately to resist sustained pressure. This defensive masterclass came to typify the blues’ afternoon and Falmouth will have felt unlucky to have come away with no reward for their relentless pressure. A small slip in their attack saw the ball arrive in the hands of Sami “wrecking ball” Attiwell who broke several tackles before offloading to Hayley Hopkins who made a typically classy break up the field to give the home side some respite from their tackling marathon. Some slick passing from Sam Hopkins saw the ball moved well throughout the match and there were several passages of linked up play that saw the balance of play shift significantly. Tara Wilson ended up on the end of a another sequence of effective passing and started one of her mazy runs that saw her score a well-earned try, which Hayley duly converted. The fierce battle upfront waged on with Fi Hutchings, Ashley Pears, Kay Winzer all felling their opponents to the delight of the strong home crowd supporting. With Kingsbridge now increasingly in the ascendancy, it was Falmouth’s turn to keep the tackles coming and they did this with gusto. A break from skipper Emma Hemmins saw her pop a delightful wide pass to Maddie who charged down the line to power over for another try. Undeterred, Falmouth galvanised their forwards for another salvo into the Kingsbridge half. Their strong pressure resulted in the concession of a penalty on the 5 metre line. Terrific defence from the pack saw the ball held up momentarily before Falmouth managed to work it out to their eye-catching eight who looked to be in for a certain try. The tackle of the match soon followed as Lucy Harris sped off the line, grabbed her opponent’s ankles and snuffed out an inevitable try. Her effort, bravery and commitment summed up the quality of this team performance. Somewhat deflated, Falmouth struggled from there on in to get back on terms and were unable to get a score on the sheet, in spite of their often excellent play. Thank you to both teams for putting on a great advertisement for women’s rugby. On a day when Kingsbridge U18 girls tasted even more success, the future of women’s rugby at High House looks secure and exciting. Next season our Inner Warriors will enter the league for more matches, some very tough opposition and hopefully more enjoyable, inclusive performances such as this.