Henley Hawks 22, Thurrock T-Birds 43

THURROCK stretched their unbeaten run in the Championship South to four matches at Henley on Sunday (26 October).

It wasn't the best of starts from Thurrock who found themselves a try down in the opening Henley attack, Chante Williams taking advantage of time and space to charge over on the right as Thurrock were caught napping. The conversion was missed.

However, it didn't take long for T-Birds to register a score through a totally individual try from Hannah Thornhill who was under pressure in possession near the halfway line but weaved her way through almost half a dozen attempted tackles and turned the burners on to outpace any further challenge and she dived over the line close to the posts, giving Jess Pattafor a simple close range conversion.

The lead was extended after 15 minutes when Henley were caught out by T-Birds' quick-thinking and a tap penalty which saw Tilly Buckland take the ball over from close range. The conversion fell short.

Within five minutes Henley had countered when they stretched the T-Birds defence and Sivoidaveta Adiqalo sped down the line and cut in to ground the ball. Though the conversion attempt was well struck it drifted just wide leaving T-Birds with a 12-10 advantage.

That's how it remained until the half hour until a sustained period of T-Birds pressure and Henley's inability to clear their line when given the opportunity resulted in Claire Phelps bursting through the defensive wall to touch down. Pettafor's conversion came back off the post.

There was an anxious moment for T-Birds in the last minute of the half when the pacy Adiqalo showed great anticipation to intercept a pass and she blazed down the line looking odds on to score until Pettafor raced across and caught her with a great tackle just a couple of yards short of the line. In the melee that followed Henly knocked on and that was the end of an entertaining first half.

It wasn't long into the second stanza before T-Birds stretched their lead and once again the key to the play was a quickly-taken tapped penalty – something T-Birds are making a speciality of. This time it was taken by Milly Thurman-Newell who barged very close to the line, where the ball was gathered by Hannah Sandeman who dived over. Pattafor struck the ball sweetly for the conversion and the lead was stretched to 24-10.

T-Birds' forwards were dominating the close play and driving forward continuously, but the next score was right out of the backs' textbook, Pettafor joining the line at pace and shrugging off a couple of attempted tackles as her weaving run took her under the post – and she comfortably added the extras to her own score.

The lead was extended again just before the hour, and this time Thurman-Newell did make her drive count by getting over the line after being slipped the ball from Devon Johnson, whose switch of direction and an incisive run created the opportunity. The well-directed conversion fell just short.

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To their credit Henley kept pressing and they were rewarded when Thurrock spilled possession and the ball was picked up by Fern Scobie who raised through from around 40 yards to score unchallenged. Pip Robinson thumped the conversion between the posts.

Home jubilation and hopes of a revival were doused within a couple of minutes when T-Birds latched on to another ill-judged clearance kick. Laila Hassan latched on to out around the halfway line and her surging run was only halted by a head high, flailing tackle but the ref allowed advantage and Sandeman stretched her legs to reach the try-line and her arms length dive got the ball down her second try. Pettafor stepped up with the extras to make the score 43-17.

There was still time for Henley to have the last word and they were rewarded for a period of sustained late pressure.

T-Birds looked to have survived several phases of driving Henley forwards moving the ball within inches of the line and they won turnover ball and looked set for a breakaway only for a desperate tackle to stop that momentum and, with tiring players spread all over the place, Hermione Titcombe stole the ball and sprinted through a spread defence to score in the corner and wrap up the scoring and end the match on a high for the valiant hosts.

Watch the whoile match here:-

T-Birds will be back in action at Oakfield next Sunday, when they play host to unbeaten and table-topping Old Albanian Saints. With Thurrock in second, it should be a cracker!