BUDE Women’s rugby team took on their first challenge of the 2017/18 season against St Austell Angels and recorded a 29-12 victory.

The team, who launched in February, displayed fantastic teamwork and their fast-learn attitude paid off with several players making their rugby debut.

The match began as 13-a-side and dropped to 10s at half-time due to injuries sustained to a couple of the Angels players.

The wet weather didn’t stop the smiles before or after the match, as the women quickly settled into a pattern of possession and physical dominance over the opposition from the whistle.

Despite the strong start, Angels scored using the left wing downhill slope to their advantage twice in the first ten minutes.

This did not scare the Bude women, who had come for a game no matter the score, and a strong up-hill battle soon saw the team inside the opposition 22.

A quick-tap penalty from scrum-half Lisa Honey, where the Angels failed to get back the required 10-metres, and another push from Honey with support from prop Hannah Pickard, led to Bude being given a penalty try which was converted.

The North Cornwall side quickly capitalised on the restart and applying fierce pressure with great turnover ball from Kerry Thorne, Bude unleashed the sprint power of full-back Frankie Perry to touch down between the posts.

Injury stopped play meaning at half-time it was 12-12.

The second-half gave Bude the advantage of the slope and the wind, but the scrummaging which had led to turnover ball twice in the first half was curtailed by uncontested scrums, as requested by the opposition.

The Angels continued to play with determination throughout the second-half but could not keep possession in the face of strong tackles from all the Bude players, particularly Holly Stephenson and Claire Onions in their first matches.

Player of the match, Bonnie Hillier, scored a fantastic solo-try running around the entire Angels squad with a speed matched only minutes later by her twin Stacey Hillier-Cholwill who shot down the left wing, taking advantage of the slope as the Angels had in the first-half to score Bude’s fourth.

Perry polished off the game with another sprint-finish try before the final whistle, 29-12.

The team are grateful for the support of Bude RFC and their coach, known affectionately as Les Mate, who helped to prepare the women beyond the expectations of the opposition.

Rachel Taylor, St Austell Angels captain and player of the match, said: “There is some great talent in your team, all the players put in hard hits and gave it 110% in an awesome performance.”

If you would like to try out this exciting sport, the Bude Women’s team train on Wednesdays at 7.30pm and on Saturdays at 10am with everyone welcome.

To find out more about the team, search Bude Women’s Rugby on Facebook.