Women’s National Championships SE North 1 Woodbridge Amazons 32 Chelmsford 5 This rebuilding year is fast turning into a terrific league campaign for the Woodbridge ladies as they crushed the visiting Chelmsford side by 27 points.
Coaches Simon Thompson and Jason Stuart have not been impressed with their sides slow starts of late. They will have been delighted this week though as the Amazons came out firing on all cylinders. A scrum at halfway for the Essex side resulted in enormous pressure on the Chelmsford fly half, the ball was turned over and Amazon skipper Claire Brickley raced clear.
Forced to look inside as tacklers closed in, little Libby Stopard was in support to receive the scoring pass and get the scoreboard moving.
Stacy Robinson missed the conversion, but it was 5-0 to the Suffolk side.
Then Vicky Watts found herself in space and chipped over. She regained the ball and after excellent rucking over, the ball was worked out to Carmelo Roisin who rounded the defence for try number two.
Consecutive scrums at the Chelmsford five-metre line maintained pressure, and when fullback Stacy Robinson entered the line at pace inside Brickley, there was no stopping her for try number three. She converted her own score to make it 17-0.
There was further scoring before the break as bursts from centre Anna Dewberry, and Roisin ended in Dewberry touching down for try number four.
After enormous pressure that went across the field and back, prop Toni Bell was knocked off the pitch just a yard shy. The next possession ended when a determined run, handing off three tacklers, resulted in her scoring her first try for the club - after 3 years of trying! 27-0 to the Amazons.
Chelmsford grabbed a consolation try of their own as a couple of missed tackles and great support from fullback Amy Ironmonger reduced the arrears.
But the Amazons were not to be stopped. A number 8 pick up and charge by Roisin went close, and Brickley seized the follow up to end the rout. With several missing players returning next week, the daunting prospect of this week’s trip to league leaders Wymondham looks a juicy challenge now, and in this form the Amazons may very well cause an upset!
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