Burry Port Ladies RFC travelled to Bonymaen on Sunday (Mar 5) for a much anticipated battle between two in form sides in the first round of The Bowl. Llanelli Online was invited along on the team bus but we were unable to make it. Thankfully our roving sports reporter Chris Edmunds was available. He writes:
Before the game began the two lady’s teams lined up together for a minute’s silence in memory of Ellie Norkett who sadly lost her life in a car accident. Ellie was a Welsh Ladies rugby player with a very promising career ahead of her.
The hosts were certainly the team to beat as they haven’t lost a game all season. The Lady Blacks came out of the blocks racing as they were determined to prove a point. They spent the first twenty minutes of the game camped in and around the Bonymaen 22.
The Lady Blacks came close to breaking the deadlock on a number of occasions throughout the half but were denied by some good defensive work and some handling errors in slippery conditions. After defending well in their own half the Lady Blacks worked extremely hard and utilised the strength of forwards and backs alike to work their way up field. Eventually scrum half Keely Evans gathered the ball and was able to cross the line to score the first points of the game on the stroke of half time.
In the second half Burry Port were aware that they needed to play with the same intensity as they did in the first, and that is exactly what they did. They spent most of the half retaining good possession of the ball and making hard yards up field. They came close to scoring on a number of occasions but were held out. In the last ten minutes of the game the ladies had to pack down in a number of scrums. This played to their strength and helped to run the clock down.
In the last play of the game, open-side flanker and player of the match Betsan Ellis-Williams booted the ball off the field as the Lady Blacks celebrated a big cup win. The final score was Bonymaen Ladies 0 – Burry Port Ladies 5
The coaches were very pleased with the way the ladies reacted to the challenge against an unbeaten Bonymaen. The ladies defended was exceptional and they retained possession of the ball well. The Lady Blacks now have a quarter final to look forward to.
