Back in December, the Women of the Wold made the trip up the coast into Norfolk to take on our old friends Lakenham Union Women in what proved to be a fiercely contested and thoroughly enjoyable encounter. A slightly shorter-than-usual report this time around, as our Captain—who pens these reports—may or may not have disappeared for a well-earned Christmas break and was left recalling events without the luxury of video footage!

From the opening whistle, both sides showed real intent. Southwold struck three times in the first half, with Charlotte (available to sponsor) and Elyse (sponsored by Road Runners Taxi) crossing the whitewash. Elyse added two conversions to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Lakenham responded strongly, but Southwold headed into the break with a narrow advantage at 12–19, a fair reflection of an evenly matched opening half.

The hosts came out firing after the restart and enjoyed a strong spell, reclaiming the lead and pushing ahead to 29–19. Credit to Lakenham for their resilience and pressure throughout. However, the Women of the Wold showed real character. A powerful break from debut prop Holly (available to sponsor) from halfway set the stage for a sharp-thinking finish from scrum-half Gemma (available to sponsor), closing the gap. Elyse converted to make it 29–26, setting up a tense final phase.

With both teams locked in a real arm-wrestle, the game went down to the final play. Captain Abi (sponsored by Jo Gibbs Beauty Therapy) capitalised on a turnover deep in the Lakenham 22, diving over to seal the score. Elyse’s conversion brought the final whistle at 29–33, a testament to Southwold’s grit, belief, and determination to keep pushing right to the end.

Final score: Lakenham Women 29 – 33 Southwold Women

Forward of the Match: Holly (available to sponsor) - playing a full 80 minutes in the front row on her very first outing in rugby, Holly put in a tremendous shift—carrying hard, getting stuck in, and very nearly bagging herself a debut try. A cracking performance and a player who’s clearly found her sport.

Back of the Match: Poppy (available to sponsor) - outstanding communication in the backs, strong defensive work, and some crucial tackles on the wing that led to key turnovers when they mattered most.

A huge thank you to Lakenham Union Women for a competitive, hard-fought game played in great spirit. Matches like this are exactly what grassroots rugby is all about.