Ladies storm to first home win

West Norfolk Ladies welcomed Diss Vixens to Gatehouse Lane for their first home game and took full advantage over a visiting team that was struggling with illness and injuries.The game started with West pilling on the pressure, forcing Diss into early handling errors.The home side’s first scrum saw number 8 Eleanor Navrady take the ball from the base of the scrum, creating an overlap and passing to winger Megan Burroughs who ran in the first try.West’s forward pack worked hard to secure field position, allowing the backs to line up deep and move the ball to speedster Jess Milnes, swiftly running in her first senior try at Gatehouse Lane.After a failed restart, Diss was unable to resist the pressure from the West which saw a series of tries run in by the home team, with conversions added by kicker Jade Nicholson.The opening of the second half saw a resilient but struggling Diss lose a scrum against the head, expertly hooked by Rosie Lingham.Navrady carried the ball upfield before passing once more to EJ Watson who out-paced the defence to score. Diss lost a prop and their number 8 in quick succession, with the unrelenting pace of West’s play saw another try for Milnes, taking her score to four home tries.With the victory in the bag, a kick from Lingham created a mid-field opportunity that saw Cora Hunter diving over for what was the last play of the game.Both sides agreed to end the fixture early, with player safety being paramount for a reduced Diss squad. Backs coach James Burroughs said: “I’m really happy with the women’s performance today. They have worked hard all throughout the off-season on a defensive plan which is starting to come to fruition.”The tries we scored are great but to keep the score against us at zero is a massive positive.” Back of the Match: EJ Watson, sponsored by Jem Packaging.Forward of the Match: Cora Hunter, sponsored by Ward Gethin Archer.Next up is away to Lakenham Union on October 13, returning to Gatehouse Lane on October 20 against Crusaders.