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REPORT | Blues Women suffer cup defeat at St Neots
Bedford Blues Women were sadly eliminated from the Women’s Junior Cup on a day which had a whole host of positives for Darryl Veenendaal and Peter Frost’s side ahead of an exciting NC2 Midlands (Central) Division beginning next weekend.
A brave and spirited performance breeds a lot of confidence, and they were excellent in parts, but ultimately it wasn’t enough on the day to get progression as St Neots secured a 31-17 victory at their home ground, The Common.
Plagued with injuries and unavailability heading into a game against a St Neots side who will be in their league this coming season, there wasn’t too much between the sides and Blues Women should have nothing to fear in NC2 having gone toe to toe against the side which will be their strongest contenders for the title.
Blues are a team formed in June 2020 and who first contested a competitive fixture 11 months ago, so to go this long without suffering a defeat in the 15s format of the game is something they can be incredibly proud of and will mean they’ll come back stronger when they host Peterborough at Goldington Road next Sunday (25th September, KO 2:30pm).
They showed grit and heart in plentiful amount, particularly after falling 17-0 down midway through the first half as St Neots scored three tries after showing composure near the Blues line and wearing down the stubborn defence.
Other teams would have crumbled but that’s something you can’t say about this side who stayed patient, believed in their principles, and eventually started to get their rewards.
Two quick fire tries had them back in the game as first, Laura Woodfield cut a fine line through the midfield to dot down, then Emily Wallbank went about writing the headlines with the standout try by wriggling into a bit of space before putting the afterburners on and racing home from 50m.
That made it a three-point game and Blues were in control, however they were caught on the blindside when trying to play quickly and St Neots took advantage with numbers on the touchline to get their fourth of the afternoon.
A Lucy Middleton penalty reduced the arrears to 24-17 at half-time. Huge kudos to the fly-half who dealt with the conditions sublimely, and concluded the game with a 100% kicking record, the first time she has achieved such a feat in the blue of Bedford.
The second half wasn’t quite as frantic with only seven points scored as St Neots secured their passage through to the next round of the cup competition.
In fairness, St Neots were pretty much camped in the Blues half after the interval as they saw out the game with a calmness that will worry sides in the league campaign. But after conceding four in the first half, to only be breached once in that second 40 showed a character that will stand the squad in such good stead moving forward.
To lose four players to injury was frustrating as the queue for the treatment room didn’t get any shorter but to have those players withdraw, and have others fill in – some playing in different positions for the first time – is another positive that the team can be proud of.
So many positives that should have us all watching the remainder of the season with keen interest.
The advantage to suffering defeat at this stage, as opposed to further down the line in the competition, is that there is a slight reprieve by being able to drop into the Women’s Junior Plate meaning cup success is still possible this season.
Stay tuned to our social channels for more information when the draw is announced.
Next up for Bedford Blues Women is the home fixture with Peterborough Ladies to kick-off the NC2 campaign. The game takes place at Goldington Road (25th September; KO 2:00pm) with FREE entry for all spectators. Head down and support the team as they look to defend their 100% record at Goldington Road.
Bedford Blues Women Starting XV:
15. Amy Winter, 14. Laura Woodfield, 13. Emily Wallbank, 12. Martina Sharp, 11. Hannah Donovan, 10. Lucy Middleton, 9. Esme Fish; 1. Emily McBarron, 2. Alivia Usher-Harris, 3. Lauren Mason (C), 4. Emily Bond, 5. Catherine Chambers, 6. Megan Solomon, 7. Alyce Trude, 8. Emma Hunter
Bedford Blues Replacements:
Bex Young, Ciara Robinson, Abi Wilkin
