Ellingham & Ringwood Women edged out a hard-fought 24-21 victory over Amesbury Women in a dramatic and physical encounter at Amesbury RFC. Both teams battled fiercely, with momentum swinging throughout the match in a contest that kept spectators on the edge of their seats.

First Half:

The game began with nerves evident on both sides, but it was Ellingham who struck first. Just six minutes in, CH powered through to score the opening try, though the conversion was missed, leaving the score at 0-5.
Amesbury responded immediately after the restart, showing strong possession and attacking intent. Their persistence paid off in the 9th minute, as they crossed the whitewash, with their ever-reliable fly-half adding the conversion to take the lead at 7-5.
Despite Amesbury’s attacking threat, Ellingham dominated in the scrums, showcasing their strength up front. However, an early setback saw Emily leave the field with an injury, replaced by Nina, making her return to the team.
Momentum swung back to Ellingham in the 19th minute, when captain Alice muscled her way over the line, and Smithy added the extras, regaining the lead at 7-12. Ellingham’s defensive resilience shone through as they successfully held up a potential Amesbury try, denying their opponents a crucial score.
The game’s physicality intensified, with Ellingham stealing a lineout at the 30-minute mark and making good ground. In a bizarre moment, Holly’s kick found an unfortunate target – the face of an Amesbury player (again!), causing a brief pause.
Just before halftime, drama unfolded. A blistering breakaway run from AF on the wing had fans on their feet, only for the referee to mistakenly signal a try—only to realize she had been stopped at the 22-meter line. With confusion reigning, Ellingham regained composure as PW picked and went from the scrum, dummied the defence, and crashed over for a stunning try, converted by CS, extending the lead to 7-19 at the break.

Second Half:

The second half saw CB come on for her debut, and she nearly made it a dream start, but her first-ever try was denied. Amesbury, refusing to back down, found their footing and hit back in the scrum battle, eventually scoring from a 5-meter scrum, closing the gap to 14-19.
As the game became scrappy, Amesbury attempted an ambitious penalty kick from halfway, but it fell short.
A lengthy stoppage in the 65th minute due to injury seemed to benefit Amesbury, who regrouped and struck immediately upon the restart, scoring a try and conversion to take the lead for the first time at 21-19.
With time running out, Ellingham pushed forward relentlessly. As the 79th minute approached, they won a crucial penalty deep in Amesbury territory. Showing quick thinking, CS took a tap, drawing in the defence, while EB came charging in from deep. The Amesbury defence had no answer as EB bulldozed her way through, bouncing off tackles to score the decisive try. The whistle blew moments later, sealing a thrilling 24-21 victory for Ellingham!

Back of the match: Charlotte Harvey
Forward of the match: Anja Dixon
(pictured together after the game)