G's v Crawley

A beautifully sunny day set the scene for an epic battle between local rivals Crawley and East Grinstead at Saint Hill this Sunday.

With 23 in tow including 2 player debut’s, G’s were upbeat and buzzing heading towards kick off. An unfortunate knock on at the start saw G’s on the back foot for the first few minutes of the game with strong carries from Crawley. However, strong jackling skills from Pellet and Lewis (N) saw G’s swiftly turn over the ball. Some great hands and forward pods alike worked the ball up the field. Some strong running and weaving from Carrick saw the home side take an early lead which was extended with a great conversion from Lewis (S).

Eager for more, Pullen took a high ball at the restart, powering through the middle of the field with Pellet and Jacobs in support. Hulst and McCarthy carried strong, breaking the line and drawing in the Crawley defence. The hammer was called from the backs and swiftly the ball passed through Hardisty and May-Miller in the centre’s to Shackel on the wing. With space out wide, May-Miller expertly looped round to receive a well-timed pass from Shackel which allowed her to run round the edge and score her first try for East Grinstead putting G’s 14-0 up!

The next phase of play saw some strong lineouts from G’s with Byrne battling well in the sky. Reactive play from O’Donoghue saw the five ferns continue to break through the Crawley defence. A lack of discipline on the tackle height gave a window of opportunity for Lewis (N) to perform one of her iconic tap and go’s and this time Carrick was in support to take the offload and storm down the wing to score her second try of the game.

Another great take from the restart by Neill allowed her to weave and dart through from fullback to put G’s in a strong attacking phase once again. Excellent hands from the centre’s allowed Shackel to make a break down the wing which was brought down by the Crawley fullback. Nevertheless, this was a high tackle which Shackel capitalised on with a tap and go which got metres out from the try line. Strong carries from Sutton closed the gap and allowed Lewis (N) to dart through and score another great try putting them firmly ahead at half time.

Despite a disappointing first half, Crawley came out fighting in the second half and a lax of discipline from G’s saw them under pressure for the first time. A series of penalties almost saw G’s go down to 14 players and allowed Crawley to edge their way up the pitch. Combined with strong scrummaging and some forward carries, Crawley dotted down their first try of the match shortly into the second half.

With changes made to the squad with Wallis (R), Teasdale and Clarke coming on, G’s had fresh legs ready to bounce back. A great chase down from Wallis (C) saw pressure on Crawley from the restart. Great jackling from Lewis (S) saw possession regained in Crawley’s half and some excellent team play put G’s a few metres out. A great carry saw Pellett go over the line but sadly pressure from Crawley saw the ball narrowly drop, denying Pellett the try. However, the exit kick from Crawley was effectively retrieved by the backs who regained the meters lost. Eager to redeem herself, Pellet took a quick pick and go, powered through the defence and got herself that try!

With their discipline back and Crawley’s heads dipping, Wallis was eager to put more points on the board. The remainder of the second half saw her carve up the defense with some stunning runs not once, not twice but three times! However, similar to Pellet the curse of the dropped ball struck again, denying Wallis (R) the hatrick.

Some great conversions from Lewis(S) saw G’s finish with a stunning 45-7 win over Crawley. Massive thank you to everyone who came to support the women and as always huge shoutout to Molly for her physio work and to Ben for the excellent photos!

Join us at HQ this Sunday to celebrate the women’s last game of the season as they fight to finish a very respectful 3rd!