Sun 20 Oct 2019, 14:30
Debutants and debut tries were the theme of the day as 2nd XV captain Meg Turnell led her side to their first on-pitch victory of the season with a 49-17 win over league newcomers Aylesbury.
Amy Boswell and Fern Edgar crossed for their maiden tries in Abbey colours, in what is their second season with the Nuns, and were two of eight different try-scorers which showcased the growing strength in depth of the Nuns' development squad, bolstered by two debutants from the University of Reading; Hannah Skeels and Emily Cartwright.
It was a nervy start for the 2nd XV as Aylesbury's pacey outside centre caught the ball directly from Tish Maybanks' kick-off and raced through the Nuns' defensive line to score under the posts, which was duly converted. The Nuns bit back, however, with half-backs Sarah Northover and Karen Pacho directly play well, eventually allowing prop Harriet Driver to score her brace of tries, the second of which was converted by Maybanks from the touchline.
Once again, Aylesbury bit back with another try from their outstanding outside centre, and the game heated up into the competitive fixture the Nuns had been expecting. The Nuns' pack stepped up their game once more and Boswell and Jess Williams were rewarded with tries just before the half-time whistle blew.
In the second half, Aylesbury were growing into the game and forcing lots of handling errors from the Nuns who made lots of superb breaks but couldn't always get the final pass away to score. University of Reading players Imogen Mulvenna and Ellie Brooks were the next two players to score, after a surging break from debutant Skeels, but not before Aylesbury replied with their outside centre's hat-trick try.
By this time, the Nuns had made replacements and Beth Andrews joined the fray after a few weeks of being sidelined with injury, as well as her prop partner Jess Potter, playing her first game this season in Nuns' colours. Both made an immediate impact with solid tackles and surging runs, and Potter was rewarded with the final try of the day, after touchdowns from captain Turnell and Edgar.
After defeats to Oxford and Marlow, it was the first on-pitch win for the Nuns 2nd XV this season, and they can now take that confidence forward into their next fixture against Rams Sirens on 17th November. This weekend the Nuns 1st XV host Guildford once again at home, this time in the second round of the Intermediate Cup, 2pm.
