In their first game of the 2017/18 BT Women’s Premier League, the Stewartry Sirens travelled to Millbrae on Friday night to take on South West rivals Ayr Ladies.
With their game against Murrayfield Wanderers called off the week before, the Sirens were eager to get back on the pitch.
It was an unsettled first 20 minutes from the Castle Douglas side, which was to be expected with new faces in the squad and seasoned players taking up different positions. Ayr managed to score two unanswered tries in the first quarter of the match, with fly half Catherine Shennan slotting over a couple of fantastic conversions to take the home team to 14-0.
The Sirens settled in after that, and began to work hard off the ball, running some strong supporting lines which saw Centre Ali Henderson score the Sirens’ first points of the match.
Ayr were physical in the scrum and at the breakdown, where they committed numbers, but the Sirens kept the intensity up and two more tries from Number 8 Iona St Joseph and a storming run from Outside Centre Jenny Yates, converted by Lisa Ritchie, gave the Sirens a 14-17 lead at half time.
With a close half time score, both teams were still very much in it. However, not long after the whistle for the second half, the Sirens continued their scoring ways. Two more tries for Henderson, and one a piece for back row Amy-Louise Orrow and fly half Lisa Ritchie, who converted three more scores, saw the Sirens pull away.
Some textbook try saving tackles from debutant flanker Kirsty Yates and Winger Donna Burnett ensured that the Sirens were as dedicated in defense as they were in attack. One final try to the home side wasn’t enough for them, and the Sirens came away with a 19-43 victory.
Open play was where the Sirens’ strengths lay, with some strong lines and support running from the forwards, and accurate passes and offloads from the backs. Scrum half Lizzie Ballentine ran the game well, despite having arrived from Ireland half an hour before kick off.
The work the squad has been putting in during pre-season paid off during the match, much to the delight of the coaching team. A fantastic team performance that earned the Sirens a well deserved victory.
Player of the Match (chosen by the Sirens): Kirsty Yates
Player of the Match (chosen by Ayr): Ali Henderson
The Sirens’ first home game of the season is on Sunday 17th September against Stirling County, 2pm kick off.
