| Due to damaged pitches at Colwyn Bay, Bangor RFC kindly allowed the game to be held there. Colwyn Bay had a much depleted team with three regular U18s representing Wales Colleges and three others away on other commitments, and could only bring ten players, but Buxton graciously lent one player to play an 11-a-side game.
From the start Buxton showed what a class act they are, but the Bay contested well. Buxton threw the ball out wide and the first try was scored from an overlap on the wing. The Bay were unlucky not to score when a pass from Abi Beards to Emily Jones was spilled a metre from the try-line. But the Mermaids didn’t lose heart and hit back moments later after a series of rucks on the Buxton try-line which resulted in scrum half Beards getting over the line.
The game was well contested, most of the play in the Colwyn Bay half and sustained pressure from Buxton led to a try under their posts. Colwyn Bay fought hard to get back into it and captain Joely Benton scored a diving try under the posts, but sustained a painful leg injury in doing so. The try was converted by Jane Owen. Moments after this Emma Beaumont injured her ankle making a tackle and had to leave the field. Buxton scored the fifth try of the first half to make the score at the interval 19-12.
Early in the second half Bay captain Benton left the field because of injury, but Buxton generously provided enough players to make up for the losses. For most of the second half Colwyn Bay were defending, and missed far too many tackles to give themselves a chance.
Buxton ran away with the match in the second half and scored 29 unanswered points. Colwyn Bay had several chances to get back in the game, the best chance coming from a maul right on the try line but the ball was lost. The Mermaids never gave up and were a credit to North Wales. Colwyn Bay sustained their third and most serious injury late in the match when winger Emily Jones fractured her collar-bone in a tackle.
The better team certainly won on the day, but Colwyn Bay did put together some great passages of play and should have scored more points than they did.
Buxton chose Beards as Colwyn Bay’s player of the match, but the referee and Bay coach both gave special mention to Sarah Johnston, playing in the unfamiliar position of hooker, who was all over the pitch and won every Colwyn Bay scrum and all but one of Buxton’s. Colwyn Bay chose Buxton winger Flo as their player of the match. Nick Bennison, Buxton Head Coach, made Abi and Flo both eat a whole raw chilli as a reward!
Buxton have invited Colwyn Bay for a return fixture next season and the Mermaids look forward to playing the sociable and talented team again.
|
