KENILWORTH Ladies suffered their second defeat of the season on Sunday as two late tries clinched a 33-19 victory for Bletchley at Glasshouse Lane, writes Aisling Straver.
As with their previous match against West Bridgford, Kenilworth put in a strong performance against an opposition side established in the Championship Midlands Two division.
Kenilworth found themselves ahead in the first half, thanks to a try from winger Phoebe Howles with Aisling Straver adding the extras.
A second try was scored by Kenilworth before Bletchley crossed for their first try of the match as the hosts held a 14-5 lead at half-time.
Bletchley clawed their way back after the break, however, crossing for a try to close the gap to just two points.
Kenilworth then extended their lead to seven points when prop-turned-centre Kirsty Davie crossed in the corner to give her side a 19-12 lead.
A further converted try under the posts from Bletchley levelled the score at 19-19 with just 20 minutes to play.
The visitors then capitalised on two yellow cards for Kenilworth in the closing stages of the contest.
They crossed for a further two converted tries under the sticks to secure a 33-19 victory.
Kenilworth captain Rebecca Hill said: “It was a fantastic team performance in a tougher league than we have played in to date.
“We therefore have to recognise the quality of rugby is far higher than last season.
“There are a huge amount of positives to take from the game and some areas to develop that we will look at in training.”
Kenilworth will continue their league campaign on Sunday, October 7 when they take on Lichfield Ladies seconds.