By Tanya Wilson
October 10 2005

Despite a gutsy performance, Harlequin Ladies suffered a bitter disappointment by losing their away fixture to Chesham 20 points to nil. Quins kicked off and defended well against a disciplined Chesham pack. The away side dominated in the scrums but were unable to capitalise on this due to being repeatedly turned over at the breakdown. This mistake ultimately led to the first try with the ball going through the hands quickly, allowing Chesham to exploit the overlap and score in the corner. Just before half time, the Chesham winger broke through the defence, running half the length of the pitch before being tackled on the Quins’ try-line by winger Rhiannon Needham. Chesham recycled the ball, broke through the ensuing ruck to score.


Half time score: 10-0


The beginning of the second half saw Quins on the back foot again. A well placed kick from the Chesham fly half resulted in a Quins lineout ten metres from their own line. Chesham stole the lineout and their strong pack drove the resulting maul over the line to score.


Quins then lifted their game and put up a strong attack which saw them firmly camped in the oppositions 22 for much of the remainder of the game. Chesham seemed to lose their discipline and gave away a series of penalties. Quins carried the ball over the line on a number of occasions; however, the strong Chesham defence prevented them from touching down.


The home side then regrouped and Quins’ sloppy defence at the base of the ruck allowed the scrum-half to break through the middle, running almost the length of the pitch to score. The dying minutes of the game saw Chesham reasserting themselves and firmly fixed in the Quins 22.  A strong final defensive push from Quins prevented Chesham from scoring their fifth try, denying them a bonus point.