Ionians girls collect first National Cup tie victory
HULL Ionians under-18s girls beat Castleford 5-0 in the first game of the pool stages of the National Cup.
Having played Castleford twice already at full game and in a tournament, Hull being the victors on both occasions, they were confident despite entering the competition for the first time.
Sometimes, though, this can be a negative and having never played in a cup competition before Hull needed to appreciate that teams have a passion for a win more than ever and Castleford were no exception.
They hit Ionians hard from the start and pushed towards the visitors’ line.
Hull seemed a bit quiet but some motivational calls from the coaches and referee decisions not going the way they wanted soon woke them up and they fought back.
It could only be described as a real scrap of a match with the first half pretty much played out on the centre of the pitch due to how evenly matched the teams were.
In the second half Hull knew they had to act. With players out of position due to injury and absence they were glad of the solid performance by Liam Bell at scrum half.
Really one to watch, Bell mixed it up from the break downs so Castleford did not know what to expect.
Such a versatile player with league experience, Bell was able to open the game up with menacing runs and cheeky passes to the girls.
Hull drove to the line, the forwards relentless in their attack and confident in ability, time and again players driving it in until hooker Phillipa Frayne found the gap they were looking for to score.
Nobody felt confident though and Hull were desperate to secure another try, the backs stretching it out to try and go around the outside.
Even the speed of wingers Sophie Goode and Amelia Beech couldn’t get through but Hull’s defence is just as good and the match ended as a win.
The Under-18s topped off a successful weekend for the Ionians female section.
The Ladies beat Scunthorpe 32-5, the Under-15 Girls beat Scunthorpe 66-5 and Under-13 girls beat Scunthorpe 45-15.