Local contingent lift Lancs
A CLUB record eight Littleborough ladies produced stand out performances in two age group games against Northumbria as they made sure Lancashire would end the year on a high.
Five girls from both Rochdale-based teams (Erin Stott, Courtney Mills, Darcy Bowker, Ebony Clegg for Littleborough and Serena Cape from Rochdale) represented their clubs at under 15 level.
In an East versus West derby game that pitted Lancashire against the best Northumbria have to offer, Rochdale’s Moorgate Avenue home perfectly hosted a highly competitive affair across the board as both teams played their final county match of the year.
At under 15 level, the local ladies all made telling contributions, particularly in a frentic first half that saw them build a lead that they would not lose their grip on.
The first score emulated that of Wales’s against southern hemisphere giants South Africa a day earlier, where a chip over a blitz defensive line was duly gathered and placed over in the corner by Lancashire’s inside centre.
A second soon followed as Littleborough’s Erin Stott was unfavourably stopped metres from the line after a mazy run into the visitors 22.
While the winger lost the ball from the ensuing ruck a huge tackle by Rochdale’s blindside flanker Serena Cape on the next phase caused a knock on by her Northumbrian counterpart.
Not to let the chance of an easy try go amiss, a Lancastrian leapt on the loose ball over the try line to score a opportunistic try.
Fellow Littleborough ladies Darcy Bowker on her first start for Lancashire this winter and Courtney Mills put in some big tackles and turnovers to break up an increasingly determined Northumbria side. However were helpless as the visitors got what they deserved with a try from a quick tap penalty.
So with the scores at 10-5 for most of the second half, It was only until the final 10 minutes that the game once more sparked back into life.
First home county Lancashire scored under the posts through the inside centre while Northumbria responded with a consolation, profiting from a collapsed maul that took them two metres out from the Lancashire line to squeeze over on the next phase.
At the final whistle Lancashire had won 17-10.