Chichester ladies rise to new national rugby challenge

Their opening game away to Ellingham & Ringwood was a tough encounter to start the campaign and they suffered a 32-12 defeat.

Next up they faced the strongest team in the league, Southampton, and narrowly lost 8-5. On the last Sunday in October, in their first home match of the season, they faced Sutton and Epsom and were desperate for a win.

The opening quarter of the game was very close with neither team gaining the upper hand but Chichester’s backs looked sharp.

On the 15-minute mark, Chichester full-back Gilly Thomas broke through to sprint in for a try. This was followed by further tries for Cherelle Jamieson, Thomas and Rosie Tugwell to open up a 22-0 lead at half-time.

On 60 minutes, Chichester managed to break free from the Sutton pressure and Thomas scored her third.

Inside centre Hannah Clarke slipped through the Sutton backline and ran half the length of the pitch for the final try to give them a comprehensive 36-0 lead.

Their next match is away at St Francis on Sunday, November 24.

Anyone interested in joining the team should visit www.pitchero.com/clubs/chichester/