Salisbury Women made history with their first victory, securing a hard-fought 17–7 win over Andover Ladies at Castle Road in Women’s NC 3 South West (South East).

After an even opening few minutes, Salisbury broke the deadlock after 10 minutes when Mirren Tough crossed for the first try of the afternoon.

The home side then took control, with Sophie Buck and Niamh Byrne both adding tries before half-time. Sarah Sperrin converted one of the tries to give Salisbury a 17–0 lead at the break.

Andover came out strongly in the second half as the rain arrived and conditions became increasingly difficult. Salisbury were forced to defend for long periods and, despite some outstanding defensive effort, the visitors eventually got on the scoreboard with a converted try on 60 minutes.

The final quarter was a tight contest, with a slippery ball and strong defence from both sides. However, Salisbury remained composed to see out a deserved 17–7 victory.
Team Manager, Jason Yarwood was keen to stress the importance of the player pathway now in operation at Salisbury.

“There were nine former Junior Spitfires named in the matchday 22. These players have progressed through the junior section over the last six to eight years, with three making the step into senior rugby in the last two seasons, highlighting the strength of Salisbury’s home-grown talent pipeline.”

Tries: Mirren Tough, Sophie Buck, Niamh Byrne
Conversion: Sarah Sperrin (1)

Jason Yarwood
Pictures: John Palmer