The Ladies produced a powerful display on Sunday to beat a battling Burton Ladies and to earn a Home Quarter Final against Suffolk side Sudbury Ladies, who themselves have had a hugely successful season. The win represents the best run a Boston Ladies side have ever achieved in the competition and is testament to the hard work and commitment the group display week in and week out to each other.
Boston started well by powering into the visitor’s half within the first ten minutes with some excellent high intensity rugby combining forwards and backs running off each other, creating 4 clear chances only to be squandered by the lack of a clinical finish.
Burton then came into the game well, with powerful forward carries of their own, marshalled well by their half back pairing, pushing the relentless pressure of the blue and white attack back time and again.
But Boston began to turn the screw and the constant pressure began to wear the Burton defenders, who played with enormous pride in their club and huge determination. Something had to give, and a fantastic individual line break by the powerful Lycia Elston dragged in three defenders to her, she managed a fine offload in the tackle to Etherington who shipped it to an onrushing Austin. The full back then outpacing the scrambling defence to score.
The back row combination of Catelyn Etherington, Georgia Cakebread and Lycia Elston began to increasingly disrupt the visitors play, covering every inch of ground in both attack and defence, the tight five began to penetrate the gain line with greater ferocity, making more yards as the defence tired. This seemed to release the floodgates and two quick tries followed for the Boston centre pairing of Hannah Booth (sponsored by Earl Taylor Electrical Testing) and Tiana Woollaston.
Toward the end of the half the imperious Jen Braysher, who had, with skipper Charlotte Daubney (sponsored by PJM Decorations) , orchestrated play well, sustained an accidental knee to the head in a ruck, having to leave the field with a concussion and will now follow the Graduated Return to Play protocols for the next few weeks. Boston realigned, moving Booth inside to the playmaker role at fly half, switching the flying open side Etherington to Inside Centre, and introducing the equally mobile Cat Neville from the bench.
The half ended at 21 – 0 to the blues.
At half time the planned substitutions began to roll with Lycia Elston moved into the second row for the hard-working, hard carrying Clare Wright, allowing Jordan Mindham-Wright, her first start since sustaining a knee injury in September, on the blind side.
The second half started in the same vein as the first with Boston increasingly making incursions into Burton territory, applying increasing pressure to the defensive line. Further substitutions followed with developing players Nic Collyer (sponsored by Ground Sun Heat Pumps Ltd) on for Tash Champion, who herself had played at high intensity and with great physicality, and Emily Cooper Doig replacing the impressive Nat Oakes at Loose Head prop, Emma Duly replacing Lycia Elston in the second row. To their credit the side continued with the same tempo and power, the power of the home scrum and lifting in the line out not affected at all by the changes.
Tries by Woollaston, who carved through three players after being sent on her way by a fine inside pass by winger Paige Heeley and Austin, who finished a superb back row move off a scrum to run in from 35 metres outpacing the defence on the outside channel, allowed breathing space for the home side.
The final finishers coming on to great effect, with Jess Wright (sponsored by Brothertoft Build Ltd) replacing Lycia Elston and new to rugby Hannah Baker (sponsored by Boston Borough Council – Community Safety Section) replacing Freya O’Shea on the wing. Again, the tempo of the home side never waned, with powerful forward play dominating proceedings, earning the right to go wide and allowing the back line to create opportunities for each other.
As the half progressed, Cat Neville seemed omni present on the field, her graft and leadership by example galvanised those around her into greater effort, Jordan Mindham-Wright picked up where she left off in September, stamping her physicality and power into the game with some huge carries in attack. Tries from Hannah Booth and Catelyn Etherington from 12, capped off a fine performance from the entire squad, ending the game 47-0. Hannah Booth again, in fine form with the boot converting 6/7 conversions
Boston Coach, Shaun Turl said of the performance ‘The most pleasing thing today for me, was the impact our more inexperienced players had on the game. Nic Collyer, Emily Cooper-Doig, Emma Duly, Jess Wright and Hannah Baker all came on today and played a massive part in the performance, when you think that these players are all relatively new to the game, for them to step up and play an integral part in a National Cup game and, individually, have real impact is fantastic, it shows them that through their hard work and dedication of just what they can achieve as individuals both on and off the field.
As for our performance, I thought we needed to be more clinical in the first 20 minutes, we created chance after chance only to make the wrong decision at the last gasp, be it a bad pass or wrong decision. That being said, the girls rallied together and then established a great rhythm, from 20 minutes in, the tempo really never changed. The forwards and backs combined well, in fact some of the tries came as a result of some fantastic interplay. Hannah Booth and Tiana Woollaston are maturing into a lethal pairing in the centres, they have that instinct of knowing where each other is in attack and work hard together in defence making bone shaking hits. We are blessed with a powerful group of ball carriers, who have speed and fitness. The tight five, week in week out, whoever plays; pride themselves with hard yards gained. Our back row combinations are all over the place, first at the breakdown and supporting every attack. Catelyn, Mollie, Georgia and Cat in particular operate all over the park and with great speed and accuracy, Lycia and Jordan today offer sheer power and pace in the carry, and massive dominance in the tackle and in clearing rucks.
Overall, a solid performance from the girls and a great night to follow with their Ladies Day meal with sponsors, families and friends, a great opportunity to celebrate their successes thus far. We’ll all have a few tonight, but then it’s back to the grind on Tuesday to prepare as we travel away next Sunday to play our League fixture against Burton again, then Mellish at home, Sileby away and then back to the Cup Quarter Final at home to Sudbury in a months’ time.’

Written by Shaun Turl, Boston RFC Ladies Coach.