By David Webb
Trowbridge Ladies 22 Chard Ladies 7
A trip to Trowbridge showed how competitive this league is, and despite adversity, how the team spirit and battling for each other , is such a strong trait in this side.
The day didn’t start well, with numbers down to 15 due to illness and unavailability, and then a car breakdown on the way as well!!!
A competitive start , showed both sides defences holding sway. The visitors using their powerful runners and close support, as apposed to the home side using their quick backs and strongly contesting the ruck ball.
However, Chards problems continued with Cara Austin and Ashleigh Pope ( who was playing her best game for the club to that point) both incurring season ending injuries in the first 20 mins. But both fighting hard to get back with us .
This meant Chard were down to 13 players , and although opposition had to match numbers on pitch , they had a squad of 22 to call on, which ultimately proved vital.
The visitors defended and battled magnificently, and it took 30 minutes for Trowbridge to finally break through after a defence hesitated due to a perceived forward pass in the build up.
After further pressure on the Chard line, the referee firstly warned then issued a yellow card that proved crucial as Trowbridge crashed over for their second try, to take the half time score to 10-0.
The second half , was very similar to the first, with Chard on the back foot, but defending strongly. As the defense tired, and the home side’s numerical superiority showed, and a couple of tries , one converted, took the home side to an unassailable lead.
The Chard spirit was undimmed however, and determined to end well, score