Billingham U16 Girls travelled to Darlington for their final pre-season friendly before the league campaign gets underway, looking to build on an impressive performance at Hartlepool the previous week.

From the first whistle, the girls knew they would have to dig deep. Darlington’s quick defence and physicality set the tone early, and some good team play saw the hosts take an early 7-0 lead.

Billingham responded well, putting together multiple phases of excellent rugby before working the ball wide for Tallice Gibson to cross the line for her first try of the season, closing the gap to 7-5.
The remainder of the first half was a hard-fought, back-and-forth contest, with both sides beginning to feel the pace. Billingham were forced into early changes following head injuries to Kacey Richards and Lauren Halliwell after nasty falls.
Darlington were then reduced to 14 following a yellow card for a high tackle, giving Billingham an opportunity to apply further pressure. However, just before half-time, Billingham received a yellow card of their own for a high tackle, with Darlington awarded a penalty try to make it 14-5 at HT.

Darlington started the second half quickly, and a brief lapse in concentration in the Billingham defence allowed the hosts to break the line and score their third try of the match, extending the lead to 21-5. Billingham refused to let their heads drop.

From the restart, the girls looked to retain possession and make the Darlington defence work. Brooke Thomas spotted space brilliantly, broke through the defensive line and carried all the way to the try line to add five more points.
Amy Ryan, on her usual kicking duties, slotted the conversion to bring Billingham back to 21-12. With 20 minutes remaining, it was still all to play for.

Unfortunately, further injuries forced Billingham into more changes. With tired bodies and minds beginning to show, the intensity dropped and Darlington took full advantage, finishing the game strongly with four further tries to secure a 43-12 victory.
Player of the Match Awards

Darlington’s Opposition POTM: Grace Carter
Grace has started the season flying, with her trademark carries once again proving vital throughout the game.

Billingham Forward of the Match: Evie Hughes
In only her second game, Evie continues to show just how valuable she will be to the team this season, producing another excellent performance.

Billingham Back of the Match: Brooke Thomas
Not to be outdone by sister Grace’s performance for the U18s, Brooke grabbed her first try of the season and worked her socks off in both attack and defence.

Next Up: The League Begins
Pre-season is now complete and attention turns to the league campaign, with Billingham travelling to Redcar for their opening fixture.
There is plenty to work on, but there were also plenty of positives to take from another tough pre-season test. The girls will be ready for the challenge when the league gets underway.

Final Score: Darlington 43-12 Billingham