By Jo Everett
April 13 2004

Easter weekend saw the Harlequin Ladies travel to the Netherlands for the Leiden-Diok tournament where they reached the semi-finals. (Harlequin Ladies 17 – Bleydon Ladies 10)
(Harlequin Ladies 31 – Oxford Ladies 0)
(Harlequin Ladies 0 – Flying Dutchees 17)
(Harlequin Ladies 5 – Newcastle University 22)

In the opening match of the tournament, Quins faced Bleydon in what was to be a close-fought game. Quins took an early lead thanks to the pace of Rachael Bullingham on the wing, but Bleydon were quick to equalise through their own strong runners in the backs. Quins kept up the pressure and Bullingham scored her second try of the game, but once again Bleydon drew level. Quins were able to recapture the lead, with Kate Sinfield at fly –half, scoring her own converted try.

In their second game, Quins took on the Oxford Ladies and were able to dominate the set-pieces, keeping Oxford under pressure throughout. Sinfield completed her hat-trick and further tries came from Saskia Brazier-Kobus at centre and Claire Hopkins at hooker.

Quins came under pressure themselves in their third game, against eventual tournament winners, the Flying Dutchees. From the outset, the Dutchees dominated possession and challenged the Quins defence. Harlequins made life harder for themselves with scrappy handling when they did gain possession. The Dutchees made the most of these errors, scooping up loose ball and penetrating the then disorganised line. Although Quins were able to raise their game in the second half, it was a case of too little too late, and the Dutchees’ defence held tight.

Having come second in their pool, the Ladies were through to the semi-finals and faced Newcastle University. Again the Harlequins’ defence was challenged by some very strong running, and Newcastle were soon two tries ahead. Quins competed well in the scrums, securing good possession, but the Newcastle defence kept Quins well away from the tryline. Newcastle were to score once again before half-time, but the second half saw a much stronger challenge by Harlequins. Having worked their way into Newcastle’s half, Quins were quick to recycle the ball and begin to test the Newcastle defence. It was in the last few minutes that Tanya Wilson, at prop, was able to pick up the ball from the back of the ruck, and run through and score.

Having completed their rugby, the Quins Ladies were then free to enjoy Leiden’s hospitality, before returning to sample the Rotterdam nightlife.

After the brief respite, the Harlequin Ladies return to their league campaign on Sunday, when they face BG Combination at home. With the league title still in their sights, the pressure really is now on for the Ladies