Henley Hawks Women 51 – 5 Okehampton
By Lisa Tavinor
Henley Hawks Women produced a dominant display on Saturday afternoon, delivering an emphatic 51–5 victory over Okehampton in the opening fixture of an exciting double-header at Dry Leas. With the men's fixture following, the women had the honour of getting the afternoon underway, and they certainly gave the supporters plenty to cheer about, setting the tone with an outstanding attacking and defensive performance.
The Hawks couldn't have asked for a better start. Within the opening three minutes, Victoria Offlow had crossed the line to get the scoreboard moving. From the outset, the intensity was evident, with Ellie Farwell setting the defensive standard with some thunderous tackles, while Ciera Forry and Offlow looked dangerous with ball in hand, which soon found its way into the hands of the speedster Nyamedo Addae-Dapaah who blasted her way over the line to take the score to 10-0
Henley continued to dominate territory and possession, with Charlotte Gisbourne (Gizzy) making a crucial turnover and the defensive line working tirelessly to keep Okehampton under pressure. The forwards began to make their presence felt, and a strong driving maul created the perfect platform for Phaedra Cocks to power over the line, for another non-converted try, 15–0.
The Hawks were playing with confidence and purpose, with the defensive line shutting down any of Okehampton's attempts to build momentum. Strong carries from Sinead Skillin, Farwell and Holly Hallett kept the pressure on, while the forwards continued to win the physical battle. Henley soon secured their bonus point, with Freya Gracie finding space and powering through to score another try. Farwell added the extras, taking the score to 22–0.
There was still time for more before the break. Chante Williams finished well out wide following an excellent kick chase, extending Henley's advantage to 27–0 and capping off a superb first-half performance.
Okehampton came out with renewed determination after the restart and managed to get themselves on the scoreboard, crossing in the corner to make it 27–5. However, the Hawks responded with a renewed defensive effort, refusing to allow the visitors to build any sustained momentum. Gizzy marshalled the defensive line, while Addae-Dapaah and Amelie Kotrie did excellent work around the breakdown and kept life difficult for Okehampton. Henley soon on the attack, with Gracie making an excellent 20-metre break before Kotrie helped create the opportunity for Addae-Dapaah to finish. Farwell added another conversion to make it 34–5.
The Hawks were now finding space across the pitch, with Rosie Begley controlling territory through some excellent kicking and Dani Willmore continuing to make valuable metres with ball in hand. Williams then grabbed her second try of the afternoon, powering over the line to extend Henley's lead to 39–5. There was no let-up from the home side. Hannah Pearce found a gap in the defence, creating the opportunity for Williams to complete her hat-trick and take Henley to 44–5.
With the game entering its closing stages, Addae-Dapaah, not wanting to be outdone by her fellow winger, had the final say, finding a way through the Okehampton defence and racing over for her third try of the afternoon, completing her own hat-trick in the process. Begley added the conversion to bring the afternoon's scoring to a close at an impressive 51–5.
It was a fantastic all-round performance from the Hawks, with tries shared across the squad, excellent attacking intent and a defensive effort that kept Okehampton under pressure for large periods of the game. Williams and Addae-Dapaah both deserve special mention for their hat-tricks, while the contributions across the entire squad demonstrated the strength, depth and potential within this group. A brilliant way to open Saturday's double header, giving the supporters plenty to celebrate before the men took to the field.
51 points, eight tries and a performance full of intent. A very happy afternoon at Dry Leas for Henley Hawks Women!
Coaches' player (Sponsored by Rhys Murray photography) - Sinead Skillin sponsored by Alpha Flooring (UK) Ltd
Back of the match - Nyamedo Addae-Dapaah sponsored by Ian & Sara Harwood
Forward of the match - Sinead Skillin sponsored by Alpha Flooring (UK) Ltd
Match photos courtesy of Rhiannon Jones available here.
