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March 14, 2012 - 09:41 PM
IoM Vagabonds 0 v Eccles 102 10/03/12
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Eccles Ladies assembled at Manchester Airport at the ungodly hour of 6:45am for their final long haul of the season to the Isle of Man. Amazingly everyone was on time and had their passports with them, with the only delay caused by Lisa Campbell’s insistence on checking in a bag that didn’t exist. But that was soon cleared and the rest of the journey was incident free, arriving at Vagabonds’ nice new facilities before the opposition.
The game earlier in the season had been a very one-sided affair and in the opening few minutes it appeared that Eccles weren’t ready for the new found ferocity of the home side. The breakdown was being closely contested and the back line weren’t getting their own way. It took something special from Eccles to open the scoring after 10 minutes, with the ball passing through multiple hands before being finished by Laura Bertalot. A few minutes later Claire Knapp exploited a gap in the defence and side stepped the full back to go in from 60 yards. But Vagabonds stuck at it and another 15 minutes had passed before Katy Amos hit a beautiful line to break the defence. Sally Morris got in on the try scoring next picking up a loose ball to scamper away, which was quickly followed by two more from Amos securing her hat-trick before the interval. Four conversions from Knapp made the half time score 38-0 but the game had been a lot more competitive than the score line suggested.
The message at half time was to stay patient and expect the opposition to tire. This was particularly evident with them only fielding two replacements compared to the strength in depth on the Eccles bench, all of which would feature prominently in the second stanza. Two minutes in Katy Amos collected her fourth try of the game. Five minutes later Kelly John squeezed in the corner. And shortly after Sadie Light added the forwards’ names to the score sheet with a quick brace. The floodgates were now beginning to open. Replacement full back Sarah Baker showed her pace to race away. Hayley Bennett had moved up to centre and showed her strength to go in next before Baker grabbed a second. With 10 minutes left Sara Davis showed great determination to break a couple of tackles and cross the line. Sally Morris was desperate to score a hat-trick but could only get one more; she was so upset she had a little cry about it later. And the scoring was completed by the try of the day as Lisa Campbell showed both evasiveness and speed to swerve past two defenders and reach the line untouched. With conversions from both Claire Knapp and Hayley Bennett the final score was 102-0 to the visitors which really didn’t reflect the efforts put in by the hosts.
Despite some stand out performances from the likes of Siobhan Mullen and Katie Houghton, the Man of the Match award took a surprising twist when all 27 tourists including two coaches and four injured players were named to compete in the drinking. This set the premise for what was to follow and a good time was had by all. Thanks must go to the Vagabonds club and the island over all for their hospitality. The next game for the Ladies will be much closer to home as they welcome Morpeth to Gorton Street on 25/03/12.
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2
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March 06, 2012 - 10:45 PM
Fleetwood Grasshoppers 0 v Eccles 46 04/03/12
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Eccles Ladies arrived in Fleetwood, which was a good start as until the day before they thought the game was being played in Preston, to find the wet conditions meant they would be playing down the road on Fleetwood’s equivalent of “through the tunnel”. Even there it was very heavy under foot and with a gale force wind blowing across the open space conditions were difficult to say the least.
The opening exchanges showed that it wasn’t just the conditions that would be difficult, as there were bruising hits from both sides with the forwards cancelling each other out. The backs were also finding it difficult as the defensive lines moved up quickly to apply the pressure. Eccles were struggling to make use of their possession so Sally Morris decided it was time to use the opposition’s, popping up from nowhere for her umpteenth interception of the season, racing away 40 metres to score. Claire Knapp added the extras. The breakthrough gave Eccles added confidence and they used it to get on the front foot. 16 minutes in #8 Rebecca Owen peeled away from the back of the scrum to score her eighth try of the season. Nine minutes later Owen crashed over again for her ninth of the year. Not to be outdone in the try scoring stakes, Nina Martyn outstretched her arms to get over the line for the next one, which made the half time score 22-0.
The second half started in much the same way as the first with great running from Niki Broome and Katie Houghton being met with some tough defence. But Fleetwood couldn’t keep Eccles out for long and Kelly John went through from 20 yards to re-start the ball rolling. Ten minutes later Nina Martyn dived over for her second of the day, and with conversions from Claire Knapp and Hayley Bennett the score was now 36-0 and the bonus point was secured. Changes were made to ensure all the squad got game time but that didn’t stop the scoring. On 65 minutes Abbi Phillips celebrated her return with the simplest try she’s ever likely to score, spinning over to ground the ball from 6” out. And with time running out there was another try from a replacement as Tracey Zengeni bundled over in her second game back after over a year out due to injury.
After the game the performance was heralded as one of the best of the season in overcoming both difficult opposition and challenging conditions. Laura Bertalot was awarded Back of the Match for her excellent kick return work and Niki Broome was Forward of the Match for her strong running and outstanding work at the breakdown. The Ladies will be hoping for some calmer conditions for their trip to face the Isle of Man Vagabonds on 10/03/12.
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3
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February 24, 2012 - 07:52 PM
Hull 7 v Eccles 91 19/02/12
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After a four week gap in fixtures to make way for the Divisional Programme, not to mention the icy weather, the Ladies returned to action by visiting Hull. The game earlier in the season had been something of a one-sided affair but Hull’s results had shown signs of improvement of late and they were sure to be stronger at home. Certainly the seemingly endless traffic jam through Hull city centre was enough to test even the most experienced traveller.
The delayed arrival caused an abridged warm up but it didn’t seem to negatively affect Eccles. The game was only three minutes old when Claire Knapp popped in support to open the scoring. Five minutes later she was in for her second in very similar fashion finishing off a flowing move for backs. On the ten minute mark it was the forwards’ turn to score with a rampaging Nina Martyn flat-packing the Hull full back on the way to the line. Knapp completed her hat-trick on the 17 minute mark, and with adding three conversions had already scored 21 points. The backs were playing some amazing stuff in the space created by the hard working forwards and wasn’t long until Lisa Campbell darted in for a score. Knapp picked up her fourth next, swiftly followed by Sally Morris and then a barnstorming run from full back convert Hayley Bennett got her across the line. Kelly John’s unselfish play was rewarded by a score for her on the stroke of half time and Knapp’s conversion made it 57-0.
The second half started with a revitalised Hull side making inroads up the middle of the pitch for the first time and they were rewarded as their #7 crashed through to grab a converted try. But normal order was soon restored as, unsurprisingly, Knapp exploited a quick tap for her fifth of the game. Soon after Hayley Bennett hit a great crash ball to pick up her second before the forwards returned to the score sheet with Sadie Light finishing off some nice play. Light soon followed this up with another dive over which inspired back row partner Rebecca Owen to get in on the act. As time expired Sally Morris finished off another flowing move to make the final score 91-7. Despite (or perhaps “to spite”) Claire Knapp’s 39 point haul it was Hayley Bennett that won Back of the Match, who went on to win the boat race against Forward of the Match Katie Houghton, whose strong running had laid the platform for the backs all day.
The score was in no way flattering to the Eccles Ladies as they made a competitive Hull side look unfairly poor with a fantastic performance. The high tempo and heads-up style of play which has been worked in the last few weeks’ training really looks to have paid off, which bodes well for the remaining fixtures. Next up Eccles are in friendly action entertaining newly formed Chester at Gorton Street on 26/02/12, before returning to league fixtures on 04/03 at Fleetwood Grasshoppers.
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4
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January 27, 2012 - 09:12 AM
Eccles 36 v Darlington 0 22/01/12
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Eccles Ladies returned to action following last week’s first defeat of the season by hosting Darlington. The fixture earlier in the season had been a closely contested affair with Eccles just coming out on top. Talk before the game was of the need to get off to go a good start to lay to rest last week’s blip.
And the game couldn’t have started any better for Eccles as their deep kick off and good chase pinned Darlington near their own line and forced the ball into touch. From the resulting line out Nina Martyn crashed over for a try within 60 seconds. But any thoughts this would be an easy game were soon disproved as the strong Darlington pack put Eccles under pressure, particularly in the scrum, making ball retention difficult. It was a tight 20 minutes before the next score of the game when Katy Amos raced away to score her 13th of the season, converted by Claire Knapp. After 29 minutes Sara “Badboy” Davis picked up a harsh yellow card for a technical offence in the line out, but this only seemed to motivate Eccles further as they hit their best spell of the game. Nina Martyn went in for her second, swiftly followed by a great try from Sue Bagnall, where the ball was moved wide early to find space and let “Forrest run" from 60 yards. Kelly Hargreaves added the extras this time to make the halftime score 24-0.
At halftime some changes were made to provide game time for the entire squad but this didn’t seem to upset things too much and shortly into the second half Kelly John’s strong running up the middle was rewarded with a try on the left. Five minutes later the ball came out wide right and Sarah Baker’s outstretched arms got the ball over the line. Claire Knapp added another conversion and the score was 36-0. After this, further changes were made to the Eccles line up as the squad was rotated. In the last 20 minutes, despite strong play at the ruck from Siobhan Mullen and great defence from Gaynor Gallagher, no further points could be added to the scoreboard. Claims that this was due to Katy Amos’s verbal bombardment from the sideline are open to debate. At full time it was 36-0 to Eccles so another bonus point had been earned, which is crucial in such a close run in for the league. Forward of the Match was Nina Martyn and Back of the Match was Gaynor Gallagher.
The ladies’ league campaign takes a 4 week break now to allow for the Divisional Programme, returning to action on 19/02/12 with the trip to the Hull. In the mean time they also have a friendly with Altrincham-Kersal, at home, on 05/02/12.
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5
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January 20, 2012 - 07:57 PM
Birkenhead Park 13 v Eccles 7
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It was a cold and frosty morning ahead of the Ladies trip to Birkenhead Park, demonstrated by a questionably playable pitch being discovered on arrival in Merseyside. But with the top two teams from Championship North 2 in action it promised to be a warmer occasion on the pitch; Eccles win earlier in the season had ended a 12-month winning streak for Birkenhead so they would be looking for revenge. Eccles had a number of their key players unavailable but would be giving their all in such an important game.
In the game earlier in the season it was Eccles’ physical play at the breakdown that had made a big difference. The hosts had obviously targeted this as an area for improvement as Eccles struggled to retain possession for more than a couple of phases despite Birkenhead’s inability to control the ball. Birkenhead lost their #8 to the sin bin yet still Eccles couldn’t capitalise. The opening quarter seemed to pass in an instant as the closely fought but scrappy action made it difficult for either side to put their stamp on the game. This changed on the 30 minute mark as a lovely backs move opened up a gap for the home side’s speedy full back and she couldn’t be caught as she raced away to score. The conversion was missed and there was no further score in the half to make it 5-0 at the break.
The halftime team talk emphasised the need to muscle up at the breakdown and to look for more continuity between the backs and forwards in attacking play. The second half started with improved play at the ruck, led by Sadie Light and Claire Knapp, but at the expense of other discipline; a number of penalties were given away culminating in Kelly Hargreaves being shown a yellow card and Birkenhead extending their lead by three. While down to 14 Eccles defended valiantly but eventually the difference in numbers told as the home team exploited a gap out wide and opened up a 13 point lead, and the game looked over. But Eccles never gave up and following some strong running by Katie Houghton and Abbi Phillips, Sadie Light’s relentless efforts were rewarded with a try. Claire Knapp converted to make the scores 13-7. With 10 minutes left there was still everything to play for, but the sloppy handling and execution which had characterised Eccles’ day was again evident as a number of chances were blown. In the closing stages Birkenhead appeared out on their feet but managed to hold on for the win, 13-7 at fulltime.
A first defeat of the season is obviously disappointing for the Ladies, but they are only five points off the top of the table and still with a game in hand (to be played in March). They need to regroup and polish their performance to cut out the mistakes and avoid further slip ups like this, starting with their game at home to Darlington on 22/01/12.
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December 23, 2011 - 12:35 AM
Eccles 111 v Vagabonds 0 10/12/11
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It was another break from the norm for the ladies as they entertained Vagabonds at 11.30 on a Saturday morning. Undeterred by the early kick off or the wet weather Eccles were looking forward to the game against visitors who had struggled in the league of late.
Both teams were out of the dressing rooms early to make sure they were awake and ready for the game, but it was Eccles who started the brightest with Katy Amos crossing after just three minutes. Three minutes later the ball was moved out wide and Lisa Campbell sprinted away from the defence to score. Next it was Sadie Light’s turn to power through some weak tackling, and as the 20 minute mark came up Katy Amos was crossing for her second and with conversions from Claire Knapp the score was 24-0. It was Knapp who crossed the line next, followed by her halfback partner Shelley Powe before Sally Morris completed the first half’s scoring and made it 43-0 at half time.
With the game sewn up Eccles made a lot of changes to rotate the squad, but it didn’t make their approach any more friendly, and within 10 minutes of the restart Sally Morris and Sadie Light had scored their seconds of the day and Laura Bertalot her second of the season. The forwards were now having their own way up the middle of the field which allowed Rebecca Owen to cross the line and Sadie Light to complete her hat-trick. But the backs were not to be outdone and they responded with Sue Bagnall scoring on her return from injury, hat-trick completions for Sally Morris and Katy Amos and second tries for Claire Knapp and Lisa Campbell. With the conversions being shared by Kelly Hargreaves and Claire Knapp the score was 111-0 by the time the whistle was blown to end the day.
A record win for the ladies was an appropriate end to what has been a great year for the team. They will look to continue their impressive form when the season resumes in January.
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7
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December 22, 2011 - 11:25 PM
Morpeth 7 v Eccles 29 20/11/11
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It was an early start on 20/11/11 for the ladies’ 3.5 hour trip to Morpeth. On the last visit, two seasons ago, despite a good performance from Eccles, Morpeth walked away comfortable winners. The ladies knew it would be a tough encounter but were optimistic based on recent results.
In the opening exchanges any doubts that this would be a close game were soon dispelled as Morpeth’s speedy backs and strong forwards made life very difficult for Eccles. Only some excellent scrambling defence and cover tackles from Sally Morris and Lisa Campbell prevented Morpeth from opening up an early lead. Around the 20 minute mark an injury to one of the home team’s props caused a delay in the game which allowed Eccles to regroup, and there was a sudden turnaround in fortunes. Excellent work from Sadie Light and Sara Davis put Eccles on the front foot and mounting pressure on the Morpeth line. But their defence stood strong for most of the half, only cracking in the 40th minute when a driving maul was finished off by Nina Martyn. The conversion could not be added making the half time score 5-0.
The try just before the half seemed to break the spirit of the home team which was compounded by the ferocious start to the second half by Eccles. Katie Houghton’s storming runs through the middle allowed Rebecca Owen to crash over on the 45 minute mark. Four minutes later a perfectly timed run from Katy Amos found a big gap through the middle which she was able to finish off. With conversions from Kelly Hargreaves and Claire Knapp the gap was now 19 points. It looked like the floodgates may be about to open but to Morpeth’s credit they fought back and it was another 10 minutes before Claire Knapp dived over from close range to extend the lead. Eccles changed some of their personnel to give the whole squad who had made the trip some game time, but this didn’t stop Rebecca Owen peeling off from the scrum to score her second try of the game and earn Eccles a bonus point. With time running out Eccles continued to apply the pressure, looking for more points, but it was Morpeth’s potent backline that would have the final say as their full back intercepted a pass to sprint the length of the field, crossing the line just before Katy Amos could catch her. Their conversion made the final score Morpeth 7-29 Eccles.
Eccles have a couple of weeks off now while some of the girls are involved in county fixtures, returning to action on Saturday 10/12/11 as they host the Isle of Man Vagabonds.
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November 14, 2011 - 10:29 PM
Eccles 29 v Fleetwood Grasshoppers 0
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The game of the day in Championship 2 North saw second place Fleetwood Grasshoppers (or Floppers as they’re affectionately known) visit third place Eccles in a repeat of last season’s Lancashire Plate final.
The opening exchanges indicated that this was going to be a tough, physical encounter. And so it proved to be with the first quarter of the game finishing pointless. On the 21 minute mark captain Shelley Powe bundled over to open the scoring but the conversion could not be added. Seven minutes later hooker Natalie Yorke was injured at the closely contested breakdown area which resulted in a rejig of the Eccles pack, further disrupting their usual rhythm. The Eccles defence was outstanding, and was driving Floppers back while they were in possession, but this wasn’t converted into any more points and halftime came with just a slender 5-0 lead for the home side.
The interval’s words of wisdom were all about playing smarter, upping the tempo and being patient. All these things were carried into the second half and after 10 minutes #8 Rebecca Owen spotted a gap on the blind side and peeled off the back of the scrum to score. This started a purple patch for Eccles that saw the result put beyond doubt. Five minutes later a quick tap was fed to Nina Martyn to crash over, quickly followed by Katy Amos crossing for her eighth try of the campaign. It looked like the floodgates might open but the hard work in defence and at the breakdown from Floppers was relentless, and once again Eccles’ flow was disrupted. With time running out it seemed like a valuable bonus point would be missed, but with just two minutes left Nina Martyn was able to dive over for her second and the team’s fifth to secure the all important bonus. Claire Knapp added two conversions to make the final score 29-0. Forward of the match was Nina Martyn, back of the match was Sally Morris.
After the match the performance was described as “an ugly win”, which was fair based on the lack of flowing rugby which has become the team’s hallmark of late. There’ll be a lot to work on in training this week ahead of the 3.5 hour trip to Morpeth on 20/11.
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November 08, 2011 - 09:32 PM
Eccles 79 v Hull 5 30/10/11
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Eccles Ladies looked to follow up their hard fought win in Darlington by welcoming newly promoted Hull to Gorton Street. While the two teams had had differing fortunes in the league thus far, Hull's recent results had showed signs of improvement so Eccles knew they must be focused on the job at hand. Indeed surrounded by the furore of the club's opening day there was some anxiety in the changing rooms before the game but some words of encouragement from the coaching staff soon ensured Eccles' concentration was restored.
The game was eight minutes old when captain Shelley Powe found the first gap in the Hull defence to score the opening try. 11 minutes later it was Katy Amos, returning from a brief brush with Hollywood, that raced away from inside her own half to extend the lead. Hull then stepped their game up and were able to retain possession for long periods despite the touch tackling of Abbi Phillips and Sophie Rogers. But they couldn't hold out forever and after some excellent mauling from the home side Kathryn Wilkinson crashed over for Eccles' third. Not long after #8 Rebecca Owen peeled away from the back of a scrum and threw the dummy to go in for another score. With time running out in the first half Eccles broke clear again and some excellent support running from Laura Bertalot saw her go over for her first of the season. Two conversions from Claire Knapp saw the half time score 29-0 to the home side.
The half time team talk was centred on upping the tempo and improving the accuracy of execution. Eccles were re-energised by this and despite dogged defence from Hull it wasn't long before Claire Knapp opened the second half's scoring which opened the flood gates. Tries from Sally Morris and Sara Davis followed in quick succession before Katy Amos picked up her second. A great run from Nina Martyn sent in Shelley Powe for her second and the score was quickly becoming one-sided. On 65 minutes a strong run from Kelly John sent Katy Amos in for her hat-trick, but an unfortunate injury to a Hull player then brought the game to a pause for 10 minutes which halted the free-flow of tries. When the game did restart there was still time for Hayley Bennett to score and Claire Knapp to grab her second, adding her seventh conversion to make the score 79-0. This would be the end of the Eccles scoring but Hull's resolve and never give-in attitude were rewarded with a late consolation try to make the final result 79-5. Despite the late blemish it was still a great result in front of a bumper crowd who were impressed by what they'd seen.
League fixtures take a break this coming week while a number of the squad represent Lancashire in the County Cup against Cumbria, being played at Gorton Street, 14.00 kick off on 06/11. Eccles return to competitive action on 13/11 when table-topping Fleetwood Grasshoppers come to visit in what promises to be a great game.
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November 08, 2011 - 09:31 PM
Darlington 12 v Eccles 29 23/10/11
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The ladies embarked on the long trip to Darlington buoyed by their great performance last time out where they ended Birkenhead Park's 16 game unbeaten run, but somewhat nervous that a pandemic of injuries and unavailabilities had ravaged the squad, resulting in Sally Morris having to get off her sick-bed to play, back-rower Hayley Bennett deputising at full back and a raft of other changes. Undeterred Eccles started brightly, and following a very physical and closely contested 10 minutes, Claire Knapp took a quick tap and caught the defence napping to score under the posts. Abbi Phillips added the extras. Not long after, while the forwards continued to toil in midfield, the ball was moved out wide and after some lovely interplay with Laura Bertalot, Sally Morris ran in to to open up a 12 point lead. But Darlington weren't going to give up without a fight, and after the usually reliable Eccles line-out was turned over inside their own 22, they crashed over to make the half-time score 5-12.
The half-time talk from coaches Mike and Mark focussed on cutting out the penalties and mistakes that had kept the score closer than it may otherwise have been. This message was well received and following strong running from Katie Houghton it was fellow forward Nina Martyn that went over to restore the 12 point cushion. The relentless pressure of the Eccles defence, led by Rebecca Owen and Shelley Powe, was taking its toll on Darlington and after they conceded another penalty Claire Knapp was on hand for another cheeky quick tap, racing away 50 metres to score. Abbi Phillips with the conversion. Later in the game it got a little scrappy but the forwards worked hard to win the ball back and as it was moved out wide to Sally Morris again her improvised kick-it-to-the-full-back-then-tackle-her-and-win-the-ball-back manoeuvre paved the way for Kelly John to score Eccles' fifth try and claim the bonus point. With the contest now decided it would have been easy for Darlington to give up but they kept coming forward and were rewarded with a consolation try and goal to make the final score 12-29. Player of the match was Katie Houghton.
The performance didn't hit the heights of their last outing, but you can't ask for much more than a bonus point win away from home. There'll be a lot to work on in training this week ahead of Sunday's visit of Hull.
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