News
REPORT | Important win for Blues Women
Bedford Blues Women moved just one game from league immortality as they overcame the toughest test of the campaign with a 31-15 away success at Harpenden Ladies.
An eleventh straight league victory blended a solid defensive effort with a real clinical edge in attack. They've got so many different ways to win stockpiled in their armoury and while this wasn't perfect, it's not always about the performance. This was about the result.
You hope that Harpenden do go on and finish as runners up this season; they’re a strong team and but for a crazy five-minute period at the end of the first half, have more than held their own against Eddie Rennell and Peter Frost’s side in the two clashes this season.
We don’t know whose place Blues Women will take in NC1 but regardless of who is therefore relegated into this league, you wouldn’t put it past Harpenden to mount a title challenge of their own in 24/25.
A lack of a Guard of Honour for the champions was the only disappointment of the home side and they were the better side for much of the first half, but just didn’t have any ruthlessness when presented with their half chances.
One thing that has been a hallmark of the champions this season is that they very rarely afford opportunities to the opposition, and even if they do come, they’re not gilt edged by any stretch of the imagination.
Emma Graham’s performance personified that yet again with two huge covering tackles – one in either half – to stop Georgia Avis, who was a constant threat from the right wing. A neat 50:22 early doors completed a solid performance for Bedford’s full-back.
Blues have a way of going from 0 to 60 in rapid time and it was that ability to not just turn the tide… but cash in when they get a sniff of the try line that ultimately got them the points. They went from being bystanders in the game to turning themselves into this unstoppable machine that ran in three tries at the end of the first half to totally take hold of proceedings.
Curse of the Twitter commentator who was badly positioned for the third of those tries as the half-time whistle loomed and public apology to Amy Winter, who did in fact dot down her third of the campaign, and second on the road.
That means, despite what then transpired according to the socials, Alivia Usher-Harris sadly didn’t get a hat-trick.
The front row forward did, however, get the first to set the juggernaut in motion with a trademark carry from close range – in what was one of their first real passages of play in the opposition half.
On debut, Sarah Murphy showed she could be a world beater with a bamboozling run from halfway to extend the advantage. She’d barely been on the pitch 30 seconds yet took the game straight to Harpenden and raced in the clear to score.
Harpenden were shellshocked and who can blame them really because they’d been really good yet were somehow 21-0 down on home soil.
Again, Blues showed that ruthless streak as Liv got her second to make it 28-0 and completely kill the game. It could have been more as Blues really tried to ram home the advantage, but Harpenden got their defence in order and nullified the threat.
The record books will show that Harpenden won the second half as they fought back valiantly to make a game of it; tries from Lily Hughes, Hannah Spary and Annabel Pidgeon getting them in the groove.
A late penalty from captain fantastic, Lucy Middleton ensured she went 5/5 off the tee and again that kicking option was a huge part of the reason how they found a win during a tough and attritional contest.
Kudos too to the scrum because it was a difficult afternoon at the set piece last time out against Hucclecote, but they bounced back really well in this one and had Harpenden on skates for much of the contest.
Yes, as announced earlier this week, there is a friendly with Cambridge to come before the End of Season Title Party. But you wouldn’t blame anyone for looking ahead to that Stockwood Park fixture – an objective set at the start of the season is now just one game away. Reach out and you can almost grab it…
Bedford Blues Women Starting XV:
15. Emma Graham, 14. Sophie Singleton-Sells, 13. Amy Winter, 12. Emma Hunter, 11. Gemma Cook, 10. Lucy Middleton (C), 9. Esme Fish; 1. Emily McBarron, 2. Alivia Usher-Harris, 3. Millie Rennell, 4. Megan Solomon, 5. Kelly Hodgson, 6. Catherine Chambers, 7. Heidi Lawson, 8. Bex Wright
Bedford Blues Women Replacements:
Steph-Sarah McPhillips, Hanah Donovan, Elena Famiglietti, Yaz Morrison, Abi Wilkin, Naomi Stockham, Sarah Murphy
*Matchday Photography by Roy Long*
