National Cup (Regional) Final
Sunday 15th March 2020
Horsham Under 15’s Girls 10 – 34 Welwyn
Report by Adam Harman

Horsham travelled up to Harpenden RUFC for the final after their win over Eton Manor two weeks previously. Arriving with plenty of time the players had the opportunity to get used to the surroundings.

Welwyn set out their intentions from the opening whistle, with some hard and direct running into the Horsham pack. This paid dividends with the Welwyn side opening their account early in the match. A second score was completed by the Welwyn side. Horsham were required to dig deep and push for a score. Evis Guy finding her lineout jumper, Trudie Jones allowed the Fly half Freya Bell to kick the ball clear of the try line and captain Ellie Eddis, prop Safia Cross and Molly Parsons putting in a strong shift in the tackle area the score line was halted periodically. Winger, Millie Smith unfortunately took a knock and was replaced by Shay Spice. Spice stepped up tackling above her weight to some strong opposition. Some strong carries from Julianna Paul and Tegan Williams seem to dent the oppositions defensive line and cause Welwyn a lot of issues.

A penalty was awarded to the Horsham side and scrum half, Alina Hillicks saw the quick tap was on. A pass to Bell and after some strong running lines saw Bell cross over for a try. Unfortunately the conversion was missed after a good effort. After some changes from the bench, Isabella White stepped into the pack to rest Williams, while Imogen McCall stepped in at lock. A half break from Georgia Pearce down the right wing saw a brief half chance of success for Horsham. Half time saw both sides retire to take stock.

Horsham came out firing on all cylinders and an early push from Mimi Clifford and Eddis saw a try for Horsham. This seemed to wake up the Welwyn side and three unanswered tries came.

A late surge from the back line saw Leah Harman receive a pass from the Horsham captain, Eddis and the line was just out of reach. With the clock running down and time running out, Welwyn picked up the intensity and finished the game victorious 34-10.
Well done to all the Horsham team for showing a great team spirit and determination throughout. We wish Welwyn RUFC all the best with the rest of their cup campaign.