Hawks Women narrowly lose out in tense Championship South encounter

HENLEY Hawks Women showed immense character and grit in a closely contested Championship South match against North Bristol at Dry Leas last Sunday despite falling just short in a thrilling battle.

The game got off to a difficult start for Henley, who were hit by an early setback when Holly Beacom was forced off with a shoulder injury in the opening
10 minutes.

North Bristol capitalised on the disruption, pouncing on a mistake deep in Henley’s 22 to score the opening try.

Henley responded with resilience and moments later, they surged downfield, and it was Olivia Lowrie who dotted down to level the scores and swing the momentum back in the Hawks’ favour.

Henley kept up the pressure, and after sustained attacking phases, Chante Williams broke through the North Bristol defence to score a good try, converted by Fern Edgar to put Henley ahead.

A quick response from North Bristol closed the gap before half-time, leaving the score delicately poised at 12-10. The Hawks came out firing in the second half, showing attacking intent and strong defensive organisation but dominance at the scrum from North Bristol gave the visitors a platform to score first after the break and reclaim the lead.

Undeterred, Henley hit back straight from the restart. A quick kick-off led to a run from Lauren Mueller, whose fancy footwork left defenders in her wake as she crossed the line to make it 17-22.

The final stages of the match were tense, with Henley camped on the North Bristol try line in a relentless push for victory.

Despite their best efforts and relentless determination, the breakthrough wouldn’t come as the referee’s whistle confirmed a narrow defeat.