Valkyries get their first points in dramatic draw

WORCESTER Valkyries secured their first points of the Tyrrell’s Premier 15s with a dramatic 12-12 draw at Firwood Waterloo at the Memorial Ground.

After eight straight defeats, the Valkyries could have even got more from the match after moving into a 12-point lead with just ten minutes to play.

But Firwood Waterloo scored two tries late on to salvage something from the game and remain five points above Worcester in the league table.

The game was a late kick-off as it formed a double-header after Firwood Waterloo’s 33-21 win over Manchester, and the home fans witnessed an extremely tense affair.

After a pointless opening 20 minutes, winger Nikita Frere burst down the left wing to finish in the corner and open up a 5-0 lead for the Valkyries.

Vicky Laflin broke through just minutes later but the ball was lost by the Worcester attack and the chance went begging.

Waterloo came close to equalising on the half hour mark but some excellent last-ditch defence from the basement side was enough to go in 5-0 at the break.

And the visiting fans were dreaming of a first win fo the season when Zoe Bennion dived over from the back of a Valkyries scrum with Beth James slotting the conversion to make it 12-0. But Worcester were unable to hang on as Ash Neale pulled a try back on 71 minutes which Beth Stott converted to give Waterloo a sniff of victory.

And Ash Deans levelled the scores in dramatic fashion for the hosts, but Stott’s final conversion was unable to snatch a late victory.