RUGBY UNION: AN INEXPERIENCED Kenilworth Ladies side stormed to a 48-5 victory over the University of Birmingham to complete the double over their West Midlands rivals in freezing temperatures under the Friday night lights at Glasshouse Lane, writes Cath Lyon.
That performance was followed up by a 33-0 victory over Old Northamptonians as the Ladies once again secured two victories in one weekend.
Two tries in quick succession from speedy full back Harrie Clemens were successfully converted by fly half Felicity Baldwin for a 14-0 lead on Friday.
A successful attack from Birmingham followed though, as the visitors took advantage of Kenilworth’s hesitant defence.
From then on it was less a tale of two teams and more a tale of Kenilworth tries, with a rolling set of backs clocking up six more tries and four conversions, including an impressive hat-trick from centre Phoebe Howles. Rebecca Lane, Patricia McMahon and Vicky Stokes also crossed the whitewash.
Although the backs scored all the points it was Kenilworth’s forwards who set the platform for the convincing victory, with flanker Alexandra Clay putting in a superb performance and hooker Emma Kimberley impressing in her first full outing at number two.
The victory is yet another notable achievement for the Ladies this season, who now have around 40 players on their books and are constantly expanding.
Speaking after the match, head coach Tim Burden said: “Everyone performed so well and I was especially pleased with some of the newer players. This evening has shown me how determined and committed the players are to making Kenilworth Ladies a real success.”
The side were then back in action on Sunday securing a 33-0 victory against Old Northamptonians.
Kenilworth started strongly and raced into a commanding 26-0 lead within the opening 20 minutes thanks to tries from Jasmine Heffer, Baldwin, Clemens and Lane.
Kenilworth had the final say when an interception from fly half Vicky Stokes allowed Baldwin to race across the line for a converted try in the final play of the match.
