In their first test of the season, the Brampton Women's team
travelled to Montreal last weekend to play Saint-Anne-
de-Bellevue Women’s team. The exhibition match was held on
the field turf pitch at the Loyola campus of Concordia
University, in cool, wet conditions. The Brampton women were
part of a Brampton Beavers pre-season Club tour to Montreal,
joining the Men’s Senior and Men’s U-21 squads. .
Although both the Beavers and the host Ste-Anne's team were
short on numbers, the match started off earlier than
scheduled, with a line-up of 11 players a side. Both teams
did their best with the unusual numbers and the game had all
the intensity of a regular 15’s match.
With Brampton still finding their legs, Ste-Anne’s women
opened the scoring with a well-taken try Tess Kelley using
her pace along the side lines, after she was set free by a
series of quick passes from Erica Leonard and Katie Bartley.
Sandy Simpson, scrum-half for the day, slotted an excellent
conversion from 30 metres and wide out.
The SABRFC Women did not let up, and they kept the pressure
on their Brampton opponents by springing Katie Bartley on a
series of crashing runs through the centers. These forays
were given constant support from the mobile pack all over
the pitch.
Ste-Anne’s struck again late in
the first half with an unconverted converted try by Liz
Vincente and went into the second half with a 12 – 0 lead.
The Beavers did not back down from this first half challenge
though, and in the second half it was their turn to exert
some pressure on Ste-Anne’s. Eventually, the Brampton women
managed to come away with a try in the left corner after
their outside center broke a few tackles.
The last part of the game was scrappy with several unforced
errors. Time and again the ball was dropped or knocked on,
but the result stood, and the the Ste-Anne’s Women came out
victorious with a 12-5 win.
However this was a good first run out
for the Brampton women with a wide mix of players,
and it bodes well for the season, which will soon be
underway.
