CARDIFF DEMONS 24 FEATHERSTONE ROVERS 12
IAN GOLDEN, Cardiff University, Saturday

CARDIFF avenged their defeat to Featherstone in last season’s Championship play-offs to knock the Yorkshire side out of the Women’s Challenge Cup.

It’s the fourth season in a row that Cardiff have made the Cup quarter-finals and the third that they’ve beaten a Super League side, and they looked good for their win, despite being made to work hard in the first half.

Cheered on by the South Wales Jets Girls Under 14 side, who made a guard of honour before kick-off, the Demons put on a dominant second half display to earn their win.

Cardiff had the chance to score in the first minute after retaining the ball from kick-off giving them a good scoring position, but the Rovers defence held out.

And the match remained a tight, fierce battle for a while with no holds barred. There were three stoppages for injuries in the first 15 minutes, although not for anything illegal – indeed, there were no penalties until the 36th minute.

There were however plenty of scrums, as errors also dominated the first half, and one of them led to the opening try, the only one of the first half, scored on 20 minutes.

A dropped ball gave Cardiff a scrum ten metres from the line. From the resulting set, Lucia Davies set up Frances Layton to score in the corner, where Mary-Ann Gittings couldn’t convert.

Layton was a heroine at the other end too as Rovers pressed to level the scores, intercepting Charley Blackburn’s pass aimed at Elland Lamb.

The score remained 4-0 at half-time but it took just 75 seconds of the second half for Cardiff to improve their lead as a handling error ten metres out was punished.

Zoe Heeley kicked twice before pouncing on the ball herself to score, and Gittings converted to give the home side a 10-0 lead.

Featherstone hit back on 53 minutes. After winning a scrum 20 metres out, Chloe Billington found a gap to run over and score, and Dani Waters converted.

But Cardiff extended their lead again six minutes later. Indiscipline cost Rovers as they gave away a penalty near to their own goal-line and, from the resulting set, Leanne Burnell went over in the corner for her 49th try for the Demons.

Gittings’ goal attempt was short, but she did score the next try from the set after kick-off, although the wind took her latest conversion attempt wide.

And the game was well and truly sealed with ten minutes to go, after Heeley made a length-of-the-field run after catching the ball from the final tackle of a Featherstone attack, to score under the sticks. Gittings added the goal.

But Featherstone had the last say when Brogan Kennedy scored under the posts and Waters converted with the last play of the game.

GAMESTAR: Frances Layton had a solid performance when attacking or defending.

GAMEBREAKER: Zoe Heeley turning defence into attack for the final try of the match ensured Rovers weren’t coming back.

MATCHFACTS

DEMONS
1 Leanne Burnell
19 Frances Layton
3 Olivia Williams
35 Mary-Ann Gittings
5 Zoe Heeley
6 Meg Whittaker
7 Amberley Ruck
17 Sue Neumann
9 Jasmine Gibbons
10 Ffion Jenkins
11 Sioned Young
15 Charlie Mundy
13 Katie Carr
Subs (all used)
2 Lucia Davies
14 Rhi Parker
16 Bridget Jones
28 Amy Price

Tries: Layton (21), Heeley (42, 70), Burnell (59), Gittings (63)
Goals: Gittings 2/5

ROVERS
1 Angel Bentley
2 Elland Lamb
3 Chloe Billington
4 Lydia Fawkes
5 Shavon Craven
25 Holly Waddington
13 Dani Waters
14 Gabby Harrison
9 Alyssa Courtney
17 Brogan Kennedy
8 Katie Evans
16 Kacey Davies
10 Emillie Holmes
Subs (all used)
6 Charley Blackburn
19 Beth Macmillan
22 Michaela Magonya
23 Hope Throw

Tries: Billington (53), Kennedy (80)
Goals: Waters 2/2

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0; 10-0, 10-6, 14-6, 18-6, 24-6, 24-12

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
Demons: Frances Layton, Rovers: Emillie Holmes

Penalty count: 3-1
Half-time: 4-0
Referee: Craig Davies