Selby Women’s Rugby
Match Report 7th October 2023

Selby Ladies put the loss away to Sheffield firmly behind them with an emphatic 77 - 5 home win against a developing Beverley side.

Selby were slow to start once again and it was the Beverley winger who ghosted past the Selby defence from just inside her own half to score the first try. They say that in Rugby the forwards win the game but the backs determine by how much. This was certainly true in this game. The Selby forwards made the hard yards against a spirited Beverley defence before shipping the ball wide to the Selby backs with scores from Honor Ratcliffe, Mia Hiscott, Meganne Birch and four from flying winger Em Owen made the half-time score 49- 5, Meganne adding the conversions.

The second half saw the Beverley ladies rally and take the game to Selby. However the Selby defence stood firm and took every advantage from the Beverley errors to run in a further four converted tries with scorers Ellie Green (two) Jas Ruston and Laura-Lee Thomas who converted her own attempt to make the final score 77 -5.

This was a very good performance by a Selby squad who had been working hard in training. The forwards were strong in the scrums and worked hard at the breakdowns to clear out the opposition and present quality ball to half backs Kat Manton and Meganne Birch. In the forwards both in attack and defence Tanya Whitby Player of the Match, Lucy Clowes, Rebecca Townson, Marchella Jacobs and Abi Bonnett all put in huge shifts as did Laura-Lee Thomas who notched up an incredible tackle count. Angel McCormick carried hard and made some impressive line breaks.

In the forwards Mia Hiscott and was strong both in defence and attack. Youngsters Ella Parsonage, Jas Ruston and Izzy Whaley and the centre partnership of Honor Ratcliffe and Ellie Green were impressive as was debutante Lucy Whitby entering the field to join mother Tanya as the Club’s first ever on-field mother and daughter partnership.