Ladies have difficult day in Kent

Canterbury Ladies 27 Heathfield Ladies 5
Canterbury Ladies collected a five tries to one win over a Heathfield side that did not perform to the standard that it normally achieves. It was the sort of performance that leaves coaches scratching their heads as to what they could have done.
Conditions were excellent on a sunny day with little wind and the game was played on the home club’s main pitch. As their men’s 1st team play in the National League 2, the pitch was immaculate with a good grass covering on a firm, dry surface. The pitch has a steady slope throughout its length and in the first half Heathfield played down the slope.
Canterbury started strongly thanks to two penalties and then their big ball carriers charged over under the posts for a converted try. This was soon answered by Heathfield as good ball from a lineout was worked into midfield and skipper Carol Saunders went very close under the posts. However the ball was retained and moved left for Chip Chippett to touch down. The conversion came back off the upright.
Most of the rest of the half saw Heathfield generally in control but failing to turn this into points. Becky Taylor did get over the line but was adjudged, probably correctly, not to have touched down. A number of other attacks failed through handling errors as much as from home defensive efforts.
Abi Bandtock and Kayleigh Honeyball were noted throughout with some decent carries but several normally reliable carriers frequently lost the ball in contact ending good moves.
Then in the last moments of the half Canterbury turned over a Heathfield lineout and good hands moved the ball wide right for a good try.
The home side will have been happier with the 12-5 half time score and the slope in their favour to come. The Heathfield scrummage had a generally solid day and had a distinct edge by the end. However the lineout did not function well.
The half opened with this year’s favourite random penalty for a crooked feed at the scrummage. Since this is not enforced at the highest level and was otherwise generally ignored in this game, this decision was notable if not understandable.
A couple of penalties gave the home side good field position and then decent handling gave them a try in the left hand corner. Their fly half was probably their most influential player throughout.
There was then no scoring for about twenty minutes with play fluctuating all over the park. On a couple of occasions good ball was given away by poor chips ahead which just handed possession to the opposition.
Then in the last fifteen minutes, Canterbury exploited growing confidence to collect three tries mostly through good hands although one came from a quickly taken tap penalty at short range.
Lauren Duly was one of the few Heathfield players to be complimented by the coaches afterwards although some players also mentioned good work by Chippett. While the coaches struggled to find many positives there was one piece of good news from Cross In Hand where the Harriers had secured a 55-0 win over Tunbridge Wells so there are clearly some other players pushing for 1st team places.
Next Sunday through a quirk of the fixture process, Heathfield may be returning to Canterbury for a cup game. Otherwise the next league game is at home to Horsham on 5th November.

Team
1. Kaylee Honeyball 2. Hannah Wood 3. Abi Bandtock 4 Velvet Turner 5. Amber Lovick 6. Luren Duly 7. Becky Taylor 8. Carol Saunders 9. Britt Mole 10. Maya Champion 11. Katie Baurer12. Sophia Skinner 13. Chip Chippett 14 Lib Lawrence 15. Jazz Lewis
Replacements
16. Steph Chipps 17. Phoebe Morgan 18. Holly Brook