PANKHURST CUP WINNERS! – Swinton Lions RLFC

Swinton Lionesses 14 Salford Red Devils 0

Swinton Lionesses lifted their second trophy of the season by beating local rivals Salford Red Devils to lift The Pankhurst Cup.

The first 15 minutes was dominated by good defence by both teams that caused both teams to lose control of the ball. The Lionesses broke out of defence in the 15th minute when the ball was moved out wide to Chloe Newbigging who beat 3 defenders to go 70 metres to score. Eve Ashcroft added the extras to give the Lionesses a 6-0 lead. The Lionesses defence held firm as Salford attempted to get back into the game.

The Lionesses attacked again and a short pass by Abbie Singleton put Sammi Simpson through a gap but her pass to Grace Pritchard was deemed to be forward. It was now the Lionesses turn to pressurise the Salford line. From a scrum, the ball was moved out to Sammi Simpson. Her pass out to an unmarked Grace Pritchard couldn’t be taken and the ball went into touch. This didn’t deter the Lionesses. Morgan Pearson earned a set restart their next attack. The ball was moved out to Emma Welsford but, she lost control of the ball as she tried to score. The Lionesses next attack forced Salford to drop out after Abbie Singleton put a kick through the Salford defence. Grace Pritchard kick the ball on but was beaten to it by Cailey Miller who knocked the ball dead. From the drop out, runs by Morgan Pearson and Emma Welsford put the Lionesses back onto Salford’s line. Morgan Pearson, Abbie Singleton and Amber Harmon moved the ball across the line to Sammi Simpson who scored out wide. Eve Ashcroft was unable to convert. The half finished with the Lionesses back on the attack. A high ball by Eve Ashcroft was allowed to bounce by Salford defence. Emma Welford was first to the ball but, she was tackled short of the line.

The Lionesses continued to pressurise the Salford line at the start of the second half. A good run by Shannon Stephens set up the next attack. The ball was moved out to Chloe Newbigging who was high tackled as she attempted to score. From the penalty, the ball was moved back inside to Maddie Higson who crossed the line. Unfortunately she was deemed to be held up. The ball was then moved out to the right for Sammi Simpson to score in the corner. Again Eve Ashcroft was unable to convert. Salford eventually managed to put some pressure on the Lionesses line. Their best chance came in the 55th minute with Cailey Miller tried to run around the outside of the Lionesses defensive line. It came to an end with a superb tackle by Grace Pritchard.

Swinton Lionesses broke out of defence in the 67th minute. A chip over the top by Emma Welsford was re-gathered. She passed the ball out to Tiegan Shaw who was tackled 10 metres from the Salford line. Swinton finished the stronger. After a run by Shannon Stephens, the ball was moved out to Abbie Singleton who kicked the ball into the in-goal but, it went dead before anyone could get to it. Abbie Singleton then wove her way through Salford’s defence before passing the ball out to Sammi Simpson. Her pass to Grace Pritchard couldn’t be taken. The game ended with Salford on the attack but their pass out wide was intercepted by Libby Clarke as the whistle went.

A huge thank you to Salford City Council for their continued support of women’s rugby league and for sponsoring the Pankhurst Cup.

Teams:

Swinton Lionesses : Eve Ashcroft, Grace Pritchard, Sammi Simpson, Libby Clarke, Chloe Newbigging, Emma Welsford, Abbie Singleton, Holly McDougall, Maddie Higson, Tiegan Shaw, Jasmine Wilson, Amber Harmon, Amelia Newton. Subs: Beth Hayes, Darcey Price, Morgan Pearson, Shannon Stephens.

Tries : Newbigging (15), Simpson (38,44)

Goal : Ashcroft

Salford Red Devils : Cailey Miller, Lauren Ellison, Caitlin Washington, Alex Simpson, Lily Gray, Louise Fellingham, Ellie Costello, Kayleigh Bradshaw, Holly Waddington, Megan Bragg, Stephanie Gray, Jadine McVernon, Maddison Price. Subs: Taz Corcoran, Lydia Egan, Emily Bagguley, Bethany Cox.