Guildford Rugby Club
Match report - Gazelles v Hampstead, Sunday 15th September, 24-27
Team: 1 Nabihah Noibi* 2 Boo Spicer 3 Amy Cooke 4 Spencer Hastings 5 Gaby Skov* 6 Issy Newnes-Smith 7 Aliya Seehawong* 8 Verity Hillicks 9 Grace Doran* 10 Rosie Tugwell 11 Sophie Storey* 12 Helen Harris 13 Carla Pullinger 14 Liv Thompson 15 Millie Davies
Replacements: Phillips* Taylor* Pegg* Overton Birch* Davies Soriano
Photo credit: @FullFrameSport
Newly promoted Guildford Gazelles suffered a narrow 24-27 defeat against Hampstead in their opening game of the Championship SE2 season. Despite two tries each from Rosie Tugwell and Izzy Newnes-Smith and two Carla Pullinger conversions, the visitors proved too strong in the end.
The game was a fast-paced and physical encounter, with both sides exchanging tries. Guildford were dealt an early blow when centre Helen Harris and debutant second row Gabriella Skov were injured in a collision. Hopefully both players will be back playing soon.
Despite the setback, Guildford played well and kept the ball alive at every opportunity. Hampstead, however, were more clinical in attack, particularly through their elusive winger. She scored the winning try in the final minutes to seal the victory.
It was a very credible performance from the Gazelles for their first outing in this new league. The step up in standard was very noticeable, but the players and coaches will have a lot of positives to take from a game that was played with a lot of skill and physicality.
The Gazelles will now look to bounce back from the defeat and build on their performance in the coming weeks. They face a tough challenge next week away against Hackney.
Mike Burden
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