By Frank Stormont
September 26 2006

Plymouth Albion Ladies take their first game of the season, seven tries and a bonus point!  

Plymouth Albion Ladies 45 Rosslyn Park 3

Tristan Foster, head coach, summed up the match as follows - "After over coming the first 20 minutes when we were unsure of ourselves and the game plan that we needed to put in place, we came out fighting and dominated the play for the remaining 60 minutes of the match.  Rosslyn Park did not get a sniff even when they spent time in the Albion 22 the defence was impenetrable."

Albion Ladies worked hard and took the opportunities as they were presented.  Rosslyn Park had not won a match this season in the league, in fact they had conceded 93 points to one try.  Going away from Brickfields they put their League total to 138 points against to 8 points.

The match kicked off at just after quarter to three on the top pitch with around 100 spectators. In 12 minutes Albion were 3 points behind after a penalty was awarded on the Albion 22 and a further 10 metres awarded for decent. 

It took another 20 minutes before Albion got on the scoreboard, Rosslyn Park trying to clear from their own 22, the ball was collected and passed along the line before Kim Davies scored on the left.  With a strong cross wind Tracy Corby had to have the ball held on the tee by George Rozzario unfortunately the ball missed just left of the posts.

With a penalty opportunity in front of the post inside the Park 22 a tap penalty was taken and a maul soon formed going over for Anna Shepard to be awarded the points with Tracy adding the kicking two points to bring the score to 12 - 3 at half time.

Rosslyn Park had been forced to use several of the replacements early in the first half due to injuries but Albion had failed to take full advantage of the weaker team.  In the second half Albion were far more positive enabling them to run in another five tries.

After a couple of replacements on the Albion side which saw Jo Holden and Vee Thompson come on and with a line out on the 5 metre line from a penalty Claire Steer found the gap to go over the line to score the first points of the half with Tracy adding the extras.

Within a minute more points were going on the board with George Rozzario running from her own half dodging tackles and although she had support she didn't need it as she ran in her 60 metre try. The wind took the ball as it was being released on the tee and for the second time in the match the ball went left of the posts.

Another try 5 minutes later after Park were trying to get out of their own 22 allowed Rachel Tucker to score her first of two tries and with the conversion bought the score to 31-3.  This was the fifth try and gained Albion the try bonus point.

Full back Tracy Corby  soon had the opportunity to score a try when she gathered the ball on the left wing ran passed the defence and then made sure that she place the ball behind the posts to make the conversion easier.

Another breakaway try scored after taking the ball on the half way line by Rachel Tucker who then proceeded to run for the line for her second of the match. 

With no doubt in the result the rest of the bench was used.

Next Sunday the ladies face top of the league Clifton at Brickfields and with the Warriors playing on Saturday there should be a strong crowd in the main stadium for the 2:30 kick-off.

 

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