Thurrock hit back to take Dry Leas spoils

HENLEY Hawks Women went down to defeat at home to Thurrock Women in a hard-fought Championship South encounter at Dry Leas.

Henley started brightly, immediately putting Thurrock under pressure. Their early dominance was rewarded when Chante Williams showcased her blistering pace down the wing to touch down for the opening try within the first few minutes. The conversion was narrowly missed.

Thurrock responded quickly, capitalising on a series of missed tackles to score a converted try and edge ahead 7-5. The match continued at a high tempo, with both sides battling for control and Thurrock were next to cross the line, adding an unconverted try to extend their lead.

Henley hit back strongly as Sivoidaveta Adiqalo powered her way over the line with a fine display of strength and determination. The Hawks’ defensive resilience was also on show as they managed to hold up a Thurrock try, but the visitors kept the pressure on and scored again before half-time, giving them a 17-10 advantage at the break.

Thurrock came out firing in the second half, running in two converted tries to widen the gap. Emotions ran high when a Thurrock player was penalised for throwing the ball in a Henley player’s face following their last try, handing the Hawks a scrum on halfway. From the ensuing play, Fern Scobie made a good break through the defence to score under the posts, with Fern Edgar slotting the conversion to bring the score to 31-17.

The final quarter saw end-to-end action, with both teams producing some good phases of play.

Thurrock extended their lead with another converted try before Hermione Titcombe intercepted a loose pass and sprinted clear to score a fine try for Henley.

Thurrock had the final say, crossing once more to seal the 43-22 victory.

Henley Hawks Women are back in action on Sunday when they travel to Bath.