***SUTTON COLDFIELD RFC LADIES MATCH REPORT - 2nd FEBRUARY 2020***

Having been crowned ‘Senior Team of The Year’ at the Sutton Coldfield Awards evening on Friday night the Sutton Ladies stormed to a bonus point victory on Sunday at title rivals Cannock, winning emphatically 33-5 outscoring their hosts by five try’s to one with 4 conversions thrown in for good measure.
Playing down the slope in the first half, prop forward Vicky Sullivan set the ball rolling after just 7 minutes when she powered over from close range for her 3rd try of the season having been fed by fly half playmaker Maria Crowfoot.
On 22 minutes outside centre Jo Hart made a clean break from halfway cutting through the home defence like a knife through butter before going under the posts allowing Crowfoot to knock over the conversion for a 12-0 lead.
On 29 minutes outside centre Katie Gregory released try scoring machine Jada Bailey who found space on the outside and romped in for her 15th try of the season, Crowfoot converted to push the lead out to 19-0.
The hosts briefly threatened to get back in the match after 35 minutes in a rare foray into the Sutton 22 when fly half Mel Royster managed to ground the ball over the line for 19-5 despite frantic efforts to deny her.
This score was to prove little more than a consolation for with half time approaching Jo Hart, again fed by Crowfoot, once again sliced through the beleaguered home rearguard for another brilliant try, her 2nd of the afternoon and 7th in just her third start in the 1st XV, Crowfoot once again converted leaving the score at the break 26-5.
With the slope now in their favour the proud hosts cheered on by the sizeable home crowd set about restoring a bit of pride as the 2nd half got under way and it took some monumental Sutton defending to keep them out. Double tackles were certainly the order of the day as the big Cannock ball-carriers tried to smash their way through. The much smaller Sutton forwards really stood up to be counted and they’ll surely be some sore bodies in the days ahead.
Questions continued to be asked of the Sutton defence and it took superb last-ditch tackles by captain Charlie Byrne and scrum half Christine McEvoy to keep the Sutton line intact.
Having defended for their lives the game was finally put to bed on 64 minutes when the outstanding ‘forward of the match’ Roisin McBrien broke free from the Cannock 10 metre line before going under the posts for the all important bonus point score, the open side’s 12th try of the campaign, Crowfoot once more converted to make it 33-5. Superb performance by McBrien who has recently returned having spent a month tearing it up’ on loan’ at Tyrrells Premier 15s club Worcester Warriors.
That’s the way the scoreline remained at full time although Sutton did come agonisingly close to adding some gloss to the scoreline when McBrien went over in the final play only to be denied by the referee’s whistle being blown to stop play following a head injury to Charlie Byrne who’d created the opportunity.
This win sees Sutton remain the only unbeaten side in the league after 11 of the 14 rounds of matches and well on course for the end of season play offs. Great credit must go to Cannock who pushed the visitors all the way; the difference between the sides at the end of the day was the well-drilled Sutton defensive system coupled with some clinical moments of brilliance by an outstanding set of well coached backs, typified by inside centre Katie Gregory whose complete performance saw her named, not for the first time, ‘back of the match’.
Great credit too must go to the lead coaches Nathan Burchell and George Ord, well supported by assistants Tom Foulsham and Miles Gregory for the on-going development of the whole Ladies Section, the systems in place just don’t happen by chance, this week over two nights there were 30 girls down to training eager to get better, on Sunday all that hard work paid dividends.
The girls now have a 3 week break before facing Gloucestershire side Hucclecote.

Photo - Jada Bailey on her way to her 15th try of the season.