Rugby league: Newsome Panthers 12 - 20 Mayfield Ladies

Stacey Hillen and Sarah Bardsley

Mayfield ladies continued their fantastic start as they put a good Newsome Panthers side to the sword over in Huddersfield on Sunday 7 May.

This was another great performance from a Mayfield side who are defying the odds as they beat established teams whilst still in their first competitive season. On a good, old fashioned Pennine league pitch which had more slopes on it than a Swiss ski resort, Mayfield were up against it as sides like this know how to play the pitch to their advantage.

Newsome played down the slope in the first half and it didn't take long for them to capitalise as they took a quick tap from a penalty and crashed over in the corner, 4 - 0.

Both teams were well matched and the defence from both sides was immense with hardly any missed tackles at all through the whole game. Steph Hillen and Jess Hopkins began to take hold of the game and from then Mayfield never really looked back. The forwards were superb; Talena Hartley, Taneka Wellington Brown and Nina Brookes took drive after drive while Nichol Wild's tackling was to say the least ferocious. Jess Hopkins opened the Mayfield account as she took a great ball off Steph Hillen and side stepped her way through, 4 - 4.

Newsome hit back against the run of play as they broke away and their full back sprinted 50m to claim the lead back for her team. That lead didn't last long though as Mayfield's quick play saw them again in the driving seat. Quality ball from Hillen and Hopkins created space for the forwards to exploit, Kirsty Musgrave and Danielle Duffy made the hard yards and when Shauna Higney stepped through to level the scores the large band of travelling supporters went wild. 8 - 8 at half time.

The second half started tough as both teams fought it out for supremacy and it was Mayfield who came out on top, Harriet Widdup, Kerrie Donaghue and Pennie Worsley stood tall but it was Kelly Mitchell who put her side back into the lead after she reacted first and pounced on a loose ball for a great individual try, 8 - 12.

Newsome weren't giving up without a fight though and they were soon back on level terms after the Mayfield defence were caught out covering the slope and the Newsome half back went the other way, 12 - 12.

From this point it was all Mayfield, Stacey Hillen and Michelle Butterworth rolled back the years as they revelled in the physicality of the game while Sarah Bardsley, Lily Mangan and Phoebe Worsley stepped in to take the workload off the forwards. With ten minutes left Mayfield's superior fitness was showing and they scored two more tries to put an end to any hopes their hosts had of getting anything from this game. First up Steph Hillen got her reward for a blockbusting performance and then Shauna Higney bagged her second as she followed a kick through to touch down and seal the win, 12 - 20.

In only their second outing Mayfield showed once again that they are going to be a force to be reckoned with.