Cowell cruises in to stun the champions
HARLEQUINS Ladies produced an astonishing come-from-behind performance to stun defending champions Saracens 20-17 and end the north Londoners’ 100 per cent start to the Premier15s season.
Few would have predicted such an enthralling contest as third hosted first in glorious autumnal sunshine, but Heather Cowell’s try 13 minutes from the end proved key.
It was hosts Harlequins who grabbed the lead as flyhalf Ellie Green converted a penalty from in front of the posts after Saracens had been penalised for not rolling away.
Then came an incredible three-try burst in eight pulsating minutes as Sarries threatened to steamroller their hosts.
Sustained pressure deep in the Quins 22 saw prop Hannah Botterman crash over the line after 23 minutes following a good pick-and-go. Lauren Cattell added the extras.
Saracens worked the phases again and excellent hands from flanker Vicky Fleetwood ended with centre Cara Wardle finishing in the corner.
Yet the Quins response was immediate, with hooker Tove Viksten replying and Green converting to leave it 12-10 at the half.
Georgie Lingham then went close to scoring on another trademark burst from deep before Saracens openside Marlie Packer touched down 11 minutes into the second half to extend the lead to seven.
The entire game decisively swung though when Kay Searcy was sent to the bin for a high tackle and Quins registered ten unanswered points in the game’s final 20 minutes.
Green narrowly missed one penalty but soon capitalised off the tee to reduce the deficit to four.
And they took full advantage of their numerical advantage with 13 minutes remaining as beleaguered Saracens proved powerless to prevent Cowell from racing over in the corner.
With the conversion
making it 20-17, a nailbiting finale predictably followed and some heroic defensive work saw Quins claim the victory in a morethan-worthy replay of last season’s Premier 15s final.
With Saracens falling to Harlequins, Loughborough Lightning sensed their opportunity and moved to the top of the table with a 59-3 win against Darlington Mowden Park Sharks.
Charlotte Pearce scored a hat-trick, including the first of the match after five minutes – one of three tries in the first 12 minutes in a rapid start by the hosts.
The Sharks could not get out of their half and that pressure led to more tries, with centre Cath O’Donnell and Becky Noon also on the scoresheet as Lightning scored six by half-time.
That put them 40 points clear and they kept their foot on the gas after the break, with Pearce waltzing through the Sharks defence to add another before completing her hattrick.
Bethan Zeidler added gloss to the scoreline before the Sharks got their only points via a penalty three minutes from time – but the day belonged to Loughborough, the only unbeaten side left in the division. Elsewhere, Bristol
Bears kept up their sizzling start as they put in a clinical display to beat Firwood Waterloo 75-13 in round six.
Phoebe Murray got the scoring underway for Bristol and Alicia Calton soon responded for Waterloo, but
then the tries just kept coming for the Bears with fly-half Elinor Snowsill grabbing a double – Brooke Clarke and Lucy Attwood matching Snowsill’s multiple try-scoring feats. Gloucester-Hartpury added to Worcester
Valkyries’ woes with a devastating 67-3 victory which left the visitors rooted to the bottom of the table. Kelly Smith, the league’s top scorer, and Ellie Underwood were the stars of the show, both crossing for hat-tricks in the win.
There was also a hattrick in Coventry as Wasps grabbed their fourth win of the campaign, Liz Crake stealing the headlines in a 31-15 victory over Richmond in yesterday’s later kick-off.