4 from 4 in physical match!

Crewe and Nantwich Ladies’s first half demolition of Altrincham and Kersal at Crewe Vagrants on Sunday laid the platform for a hard-fought win to extend their unbeaten run to 4 games. The ladies have still not lost at home since they were created nearly 2 years ago.
Crewe dominated the first half for both territory and possession, threatening the Altrincham and Kersal line repeatedly through powerful line breaks from Hannah Thornhill, Jordan Morris and Jodie Jodie Leigh Wilson, with the opposition tackling well, particularly from full back. In ideal weather for a fast flowing game, Crewe capitalised repeatedly on fast recycling from Katie Heirene and Christy Roberts eventually giving Hannah Thornhill enough space to race past the covering defence to score a well worked try in the corner.
Phoebe Jay quickly added a try of her own after a line break from Steph Farrar took the ball into AK territory, spotting a defensive error in open play to race through under the posts for an excellent individual effort. Phoebe completed her brace in a Player of the Match performance moments later taking advantage of some excellent handling from Jordan Morris and Katie Leetham to score from long range.
Altrincham and Kersal fought back with some fluid interplay in the midfield to release their winger who narrowed the deficit, but never really gained a foothold in the first-half, Jordan Morris scoring her first try of the season form centre with a powerful blast through the midfield defence to score under the posts, with Sally Cox converting. With the half-time score at 26-5 the Crewe side looked like winning easily, but Altrincham and Kersal clicked into gear quickly into the second half, dominating possession and territory through their tight five. Simone Christopher stopped a certain try through a solid covering tackle, and Jodie Wilson made some trademark hits to snuff out some promising snipes down the blind side, but AK’s ball retention and discipline was excellent, keeping Crewe on the back foot.
Crewe defended well, Helena Crook holding up a certain try on the line, but AK eventually found their way through, initially from a sustained onslaught inside the 22, before adding another superb try from their own 22 moments later. Having come through a real scare at Ormskirk 2 weeks ago, Crewe looked vulnerable again, particularly around the breakdown, but impressive defence from Laura Hollinshead and Debs Sayer kept AK out, Sally Cox and Hannah Templeman kicking well from hand to alleviate the territorial pressure. Eventually superior game management paid-off, a pin-point accurate kick from Sally Cox bounced kindly to Katie Heirene who ran through to score an excellent try at a crucial point of the game.
The final quarter was attritional but hard-fought by both teams, Kerry-Ann Dynan and Chelsea Hobbs carrying well, with Fuchsia Fuchsia Sussanne Marie Woodward making her presence felt repeatedly in the tackle. Cat Baker-Wood also enjoyed a fine game, repeatedly stopping AK’s big ball carrying back row.
Coach Marc Jones said ‘we learnt from the Ormskirk game that we can’t switch off when things aren’t going our way, so I’m delighted with how the team responded to the challenge against AK. We’ve got some big tests to come, but it’s been a dream start to the season so far’.
Crewe and Nantwich Ladies take on table-topping Barnsley Ladies on the 30th October, in Barnsley.