Hammers Ladies secure come-from-behind win against Medway!

Sunday started well for the 1s with the Eight Bells putting on bacon butties to provide energy for the coach ride to Medway. Once we arrived we were greeted with bright sunshine and what felt like the beginning of a hurricane. As usual we were relegated to the child size pitch on top of the hill so there was no protection from the gale. We won the toss and decided to play into the wind and uphill to begin with, knowing that this would give us a strong advantage in the second half.

Medway kicked to us to begin the game and immediately trapped us in our half. The strong wind made it difficult for Chloe J to clear our lines and their strong running 12 put our defensive line under pressure. This pressure eventually told as Medway crashed over our line to make it 5-0. We put Medway straight under pressure with the next kick off and hammered towards their try line, however we were unable to retain control of the ball and Medway put us on the back foot as they took advantage of the conditions to trap us back in our half. Once again the pressure told and Medway managed to score and convert to make it 12-0. Half time.

aThe half time chat was clear and focused. We knew we needed to step up and we knew we had all the advantages of the conditions to close the gap. Chloe J pinned Medway back in their half at every penalty and the Hammers forwards piled on the pressure in the scrum. A scrum on the 5 metre led to a Kaye pick and go. From there the forwards hammered the line before Emma smashed her way through to make it 12-5. Another penalty 15 minutes later saw a line out 5 metres out from the Medway line. Given the windy conditions a cancel ball was called that caught Medway by surprise. Georgie and Carola made ground in the channel before Kaye dived over for the score. 12-12 with an excellent conversion from Chloe J. It was tense on the field but we knew we had the momentum behind us. Sustained pressure from Hammers over the ball and at the set piece meant that we were soon pressuring the Medway line again. Great teamwork was finished off once again by Kaye to make it 12-17!

Feeling like we had the bonus point in our grasp, and knowing there was less than 10 minutes left, Hammers went straight back at Medway from the kick off. Our strong carries told and soon we were within metres of the try line. A strong carry from Tappers bounced off the referee and over the line with Medway players piling on top of her. Much to Hammers frustration the referee pointed out he got in the way of the defensive line and then blew the final whistle rather than allowing the usual restart from that position.

A frustrating end to a well earned win but we will carry that frustration and desire to keep scoring into our next match against Wimbledon in two weeks time.