T-Birds v Cheltenham

Starting well in the bright autumn sunshine, for the first 15 minutes of this game, Cheltenham really looked the part. Big and very well organised, they stifled Ts and pretty much kept the ball to themselves and only the ferocious defence of the T-Birds denied them the opening score.
Unfortunately for Cheltenham their organisation didn’t extend to the breakdown and they quickly got on the wrong side of referee Ferridge for continual offences.
As Ts stepped up the pace Cheltenham’s system started to break down and 3 penalties took Ts up into their opponents 22. 3 more defensive penalties in quick succession in the red zone saw a Cheltenham player in the bin.
T’s immediately put the squeeze on and in 3 minutes the score was 14-0 with Foy and Tuson crossing the whitewash.
Cheltenham struggled to cope with Ts big runners of Foy, Dyche, Nichols, Duffy and Baker punching holes in midfield as they put their multiple phase game into play.
Camped on the Cheltenham line, Ts spurned a few opportunities with silly mistakes, but finally Nichols picked up from the back of a ruck and smashed over, then Cook claimed her 3rd conversion for 21 nil going into half time.

In a second half constantly interspersed by injury breaks and blighted by the arriving rain, the game became more fragmented and the backs got in on the action.
With nobody in the League able to cope with her pace, power and footwork, ex England winger Sally Tuson claimed her 3rd hat trick in 5 games and stand in 10 India Harvey danced her way over the line for 40 nil with 10 minutes to go.
At this point, for the first time ever, the T-Birds had 2 sets of twins on the pitch at the same time, well established Sophia and Francesca Jordan and new recruits, Lauren and Faye Picton.
Unfortunately with the bench emptied, Ts lost Sarah Dyche, who had carried hard all day, to a back injury and while down to 14, Cheltenham claimed their consolation try for the game to end 40-7.

Team: H.Duffy, M.Foy, T.Nichols, S.Franklin, S.Jordan, F.Baker, R.Edwards, S.Dyche, G.Cook, I.Harvey, A.Radford S.Tyler, K.Stopps, R.Prosser, S.Tuson, J.Mountjoy, N.Smith, R Cook, F. Picton, L Pickton, F.Jordan, E. Lawther