Impressive wins for Blues 1st and 2nd XVs

NEWBURY Blues women kickstarted their league campaign with confident wins from their 1st and 2nd XVs.

The 1st XI enjoyed a tremendous 39-19 win at Guildford in a ferocious clash.

It was Guildford who took the first points with a breakaway try followed by a conversion.

But Newbury battled back and full-back Zoe Glittens went over for a try quickly followed by Tilly Burns with her first of three.

Newbury remained in control in the second half, despite Guildford challenging in the rucks and making smart decisions to gain territory with their robust lineouts.

Three further tries came from Ellen Thornton and Burns, whose speed and ability helped Blues open up a 22-lead.

The Newbury scrum was again the dominant machine it has become known as and gained repeated penaltiesGuildford hit back with a couple of late tries.

But it was Newbury who had the last word as Chloe Darbyintercepted and sprinted half the length of the pitch to touch down and complete an excellent opening-day win.

While the 1st XV were impressing at Guildford, the 2nd XV were also putting on a show at Crowthorne where they racked up tries from all areas of the field.

The first of many came from Hannah Jacklin, and that was quickly followed by Roisin Winston with a huge breakaway run.

The home team were unable to defend against the momentous Winston and, paired with the conversion by Maisie Litchfield, Blues stretched their lead.

Crowthorne had the significantly larger pack, but this did not stop Blues forwards making their mark as front row Laura Hewett charged through multiple defenders to get her name on the scoresheet.

Blues continued to dominate the game with winger Eliza Holloway pulling a second-half hat-trick outof the bag with her ability to out run and sidestep any of the opposition.

With the opposition tiring and Blues showing their superior fitness, huge breaks were being made by the likes of El Brooks and Winston to ensure Crowthorne did not get an opportunity to score.

Blues ran out 48-0 winners to set the standard for the season and send a huge message to the rest of the league.