Captain scores hat-trick in Bath Rugby Ladies’ bonus-point win Match Report 33-15 Wimbledon Ladies 10/01/15

Nina Edwards Try

Captain Sarah Holloway scored a hat-trick in Bath Ladies’ bonus-point victory against Wimbledon this weekend.

Bath Ladies began strongly, making early inroads into Wimbledon’s half with dominance at the set-piece. At the ten-minute mark, Bath saw their first rewards when a great offload from prop Caryl Thomas set fly-half Holloway on her way to the line, beating a couple of defenders to score her first try, before converting her own score to make it 7-0. Shortly afterwards, the Bath pack put great pressure on Wimbledon’s scrum, forcing a wayward kick into Bath’s half. The kick was picked up by full-back Nina Edwards who showed her pace and skill to beat several defenders on her way to the line for Bath’s second score, again converted by Holloway.

Try number three came from a pick and go from number 8 Naomi Keddie following a turnover scrum. Keddie quickly got the ball out to the centre partners Jessie Hood and Zoe Gabbidon who showed great handling skills to offload to Edwards, who with an impressive arcing run, added her second try, bringing the score to 19-0.

Wimbledon answered back just before the break; following a couple of quick tap penalties, they were able to draw in a number of Bath defenders using strong midfield runners to create an overlap, leading to a try. Half time score 19-5.

Bath added a further score early in the second half. Strong work from the Bath pack earned the home side territory and possession, while good support running ensured quick ball from the breakdown and Holloway completed another powerful run to score her second try – 26-5.

The 60-minute mark saw Wimbledon come back fighting, making powerful drives up the pitch and making the most of opportunities when Bath were penalised at the breakdown. The visitors put Bath under a period of intense pressure in the final 20 minutes, and Bath struggled to live with some impressive work from Wimbledon, who built through multiple phases in Bath’s ‘22 and were eventually rewarded with a try, to make it 26-10, shortly followed in quick succession by another in the dying minutes of the match.

However, the final word went to Bath Ladies in the final minute of play, through a fantastic individual score from Sarah Holloway, intercepting a Wimbledon pass shortly after the restart, showing her pace on the outside and breaking a number of tackles to complete her hat-trick and earn a bonus point for the home side. Holloway converted to make the final score 33-15.

After the match, an award was presented to Bath prop Victoria Heslop to mark her 150th appearance for Bath Ladies, an impressive milestone in the ladies’ game and a wonderful achievement.

Forward of the Match went to Naomi Keddie at number 8, while Back of the Match was awarded to Kathryn Southwell for her performance at scrum half.

Bath Ladies now sit second in the league, one point behind London Wasps IIs, and will next take on London Welsh Ladies away on 18 January.

Photographs courtesy Paul Hughes: