By Sally Howell

On a blustery Sunday afternoon, Bishop's Stortford Women’s XV travelled to Witham for their second fixture of 2025 in the Women’s NC 3 Midlands (East) league. Unfazed by the unforgiving weather, the squad brought their A-game and lit up the field with a performance to remember.

From the opening whistle, Bishop's Stortford asserted their dominance. Within just five minutes, fullback Harriet Creasy opened the scoring, cutting through Witham’s defence to notch up the first five points. Fly-half Rebekah Coppen confidently added the extras, and the scoreboard flashed 0-7.

Barely catching their breath, Witham found themselves on the back foot once again as Coppen turned scorer. Powering through a sea of defenders, she crossed the whitewash for Stortford’s second try, extending the lead to 0-12.

The relentless momentum continued, with No. 8 Keira Chadburn weaving her way into Witham’s 22. With Creasy in perfect support, a slick pass sealed the third try, converted once again by the ever-reliable Coppen, bringing the tally to 0-19.

The tries kept flowing. Chadburn struck again under the posts, setting up another straightforward conversion from Rebekah (0-26). The 28th minute saw a dazzling display of teamwork as replacement back-row, Charlotte Wheeler, offloaded to Chadburn, who sprinted in from Witham’s 22 to score her hat-trick try. Coppen’s metronomic kicking added another two points, stretching the lead to 0-40.

To their credit, Witham refused to fold. Their determination paid off in the 33rd minute, when they powered over for their first points of the day, bringing the score to 5-40.

After halftime, Stortford resumed their dominance. Wheeler crossed the line with characteristic flair, and Coppen’s conversion made it 5-47. Shortly after, Becks O’Mahoney showcased her blistering pace as a winger, flying down the touchline to touch down for the team’s eighth try, pushing the lead to 5-54.

From the restart, Sarah Harvey took charge, weaving through Witham’s defence and scoring beneath the posts for 5-61. Wheeler was far from finished, using her agility and power to add another to her tally, making it 5-66.

As the clock ticked down, scrum-half Donna McDonald seized an opportunity at the back of a ruck, darting over the line with a stretch that earned Stortford their 11th try of the game. The score soared to 5-71.

The final flourish came from Harvey, who crashed through the defence to cap off an incredible team performance. Coppen’s conversion sealed a triumphant 5-78 victory for Bishop's Stortford.

From the first whistle to the last, this was a match defined by passion, precision, and teamwork. BSRFC Women’s XV demonstrated their collective strength and left no doubt that they’re a force to be reckoned with this season.

• Forward of the match: Lunette Opperman (available for sponsorship)
• Back of the match: Rebekah Coppen (sponsored by SHH Training)

Matchday squad:
1. L. Opperman; 2. B Jones; 3. C Kempton; 4. A Madigan-Rowe Ramos; 5. Y Knott (VC); 6. L Cushway; 7. L Jordan; 8. K Chadburn; 9. D. McDonald; 10. R Coppen; 11. B O’Mahoney; 12. J Bice (C); 13. E Sauvary; 14. A Borman; 15. H Creasy; 16. K Wheatley; 17. C Radukic; 18. C Wheeler; 19. F Fudge; 20. S Harvey; 21. A Vernon; 22. S Schutte