Heartbreak in Heartbeat County

The first half was very tight with few scoring opportunities. Turning around at 7-7, everyone was aware that the game could turn on just one or two breaks or lapses of concentration.

Cheshire were the team that broke the half time deadlock and at 12-7 up they began to take control of the game. A lengthy period was spent in Yorkshire’s 22 and it seemed only a matter of time before the line would be breached to establish a more comfortable gap between the teams on the scoreboard.

With full credit to Yorkshire’s defence however, they refused to buckle under the presure and eventually the ball was cleared without Cheshire having made the telling blow.

Nonetheless, as the half went on, Cheshire seemed to be holding the lead reasonably comfortably. Nerves only started jangling as the period of injury time that the referee saw appropriate to accrue became interminable.

For several minutes of added time, the game was confined between the 10m lines with every breakdown in play expected to be heralded by the final whistle. During their reprieve, Yorkshire were able to take advantage of a couple of penalties awarded against the Cheshire girls and some tap-and-gos advanced them into Cheshire’s half.

With the scheduled end time of the match having long passed, what had slowly become an inevitability eventually happened. A strong run down the left wing broke through some despairing Cheshire tackles, and Yorkshire eventually crossed the line in the corner. The Yorkshire attacker showed great presence of mind by cantering along the try line to touch down under the posts to level the score at 12-12 with a straightforward conversion to come.

Of course, conversions in these circumstances are never easy and Cheshire charged towards the kicker as she approached the ball. It was to no avail however, and the kick was good, followed by the final whistle (finally!) to signal a win for the home side by 14 points to 12.

Manchester were again well represented at this level with Alyx Maw making her county debut and Hannah Johnson and Harriet Parsons playing their second representative match for Cheshire.