On a wet and blustery Sunday afternoon, with rain sweeping in from the moors to the showground, Okehampton Women welcomed Penryn Ladies for their first-ever meeting — and Oke’s first home fixture of the season in their new NC1 league.
Knowing Penryn were an established side with several years of NC1 experience, Okehampton expected a physical contest from the first whistle.
The slippery ball led to handling errors on both sides, keeping the forwards busy in the scrums. Oke’s strong defensive line repeatedly denied Penryn, including one disallowed try after a knock-on over the line.
After a 15-minute stalemate, Penryn finally broke through when their fly-half found a gap from a scrum five metres out to take a 0–5 lead. The response from Okehampton was immediate and emphatic. From the restart, Penryn conceded a lineout that Hetty stole brilliantly, putting Oke back on the attack. A series of strong carries and incisive line breaks brought them close to the whitewash, before captain Becky Dennis powered over for her first try of the season, levelling the score at 5–5.
Okehampton began to dominate territory, capitalising on Penryn’s mistakes. Just before the half-time whistle, Penryn’s clearance kick found Jaz, who surged forward before feeding Issy, the team’s prolific try scorer, to cross for her first of the day. Oke led 10–5 at the break.
With the downhill advantage in the second half, Oke knew a strong 40 minutes would secure victory. Only five minutes in, after sustained possession, fly-half Phoebe spotted a gap and raced from halfway to score, with cousin Issy adding the extras for 17–5.
Momentum stayed firmly with the home side. Five minutes later, a powerful run from Jo McBain saw her crash over for her first Oke try, again converted by Issy to stretch the lead to 24–5.
Penryn tried to regain control but were repeatedly shut down by Oke’s organised defence. When the ball was turned over, Phoebe struck again — stepping her way through the line and sprinting three-quarters of the pitch to score her second, with Issy once more on target: 31–5.
From the restart, Oke’s forwards, including Megan and Amy, carried strongly. A clever kick in behind from Garnet pinned Penryn deep in their 22, forcing a rushed clearance. The ball found Issy again, who weaved past three defenders to complete her brace and take the score to 36–5.
Penryn battled to the end, finally breaching Oke’s defence from a scrum on the five-metre line to score a late consolation try, closing the match at 36–10.
It was an excellent all-round performance from the Okehampton Ladies in front of a large and vocal home crowd. Head coach Tom Powell praised the team, saying:
“A fantastic performance today from 1–22. We’re starting to look like a complete outfit, maintaining our cutting edge and looking far stronger both in the tight and defensively.”
The victory cements Okehampton’s joint top of the table spot in NC1, with plenty more exciting matches ahead.
Forward of the Match went to captain Becky Dennis (sponsored by Stevens Estate Agents), and Back of the Match to vice-captain Garnet Mackinder (sponsored by Godfrey Short & Squire).
The Ladies now have a two-week break before travelling to face fourth-placed Hornets in Weston-super-Mare on Sunday, 23rd November. Travelling supporters will be warmly welcomed!
Okehampton RFC Ladies are always open to new and experienced players. Training takes place Tuesdays at 8pm and Thursdays at 7pm at the Ashbury Golf Course 4G pitches — come along and give it a try!