Dundee Valkyries 12 – 72 Perthshire Women

Perthshire Women secured a decisive 72-12 victory over Dundee Valkyries in their opening match of the season. Despite the overcast conditions, it was a great day for rugby, and Perthshire made a strong start from the kick-off. Early touches from Claire Rae and Suzanne Rennie, both returning from injury, set the tone, and Perthshire’s scrum was dominant throughout.

Perthshire’s first try came from a breakaway by Alex Ward, with excellent support play from Paula Watson and an impressive finish by Lydia McGinley. Ward successfully converted, putting Perthshire up 7-0. They soon extended their lead with a try from Watson after a clever kick and chase, though the conversion was missed. Dundee answered back with their first try, but failed to convert, leaving the score at 12-5.

Perthshire continued to dominate with powerful runs and sharp passing. Alex Ward added another try, converting it herself to extend the lead to 19-5. Strong play from Paige Klinkman and teamwork led to another try by Sarah “Rocky” Blackwood, which Ward converted, pushing the score to 26-5.

Dundee fought back and scored their second try just before halftime, narrowing the gap to 26-12. The second half saw Perthshire maintain their momentum, with Lily Beaton scoring shortly after the restart. Sophie Buggins added to the scoreline with another try, and Beaton soon scored her second.

Perthshire’s relentless attack continued with contributions from Becca Carroll, whose strong run kept play in Dundee’s half, and Beaton completing her hat trick. Sophie Buggins scored again, and Heather McKenzie added another try after a clever dummy from Ward, who converted to make it 53-12.

As the game neared its conclusion, Lisa Hamilton-Martin powered through the Dundee defence to set up Buggins for her hat trick. Despite a yellow card for Alex Ward, Perthshire’s defence held firm, and they continued to push forward. Beaton scored again for her third try, and after returning from the sin bin, Ward capped off a dominant performance with a try under the posts, with Libby converting.

Perthshire’s commanding 72-12 win showcased their strength, depth, and skill, setting a high standard for the season ahead.

Photos taken by Peter Wilkinson.

Turriff 17 – 39 Perthshire Women

Seven try Perthshire open Plate campaign with strong performance on the road.

Perthshire women travelled to Turriff for their first ever match in the National Plate competition. The long bus trip didn’t stop Perthshire from starting brightly, dominating the first 2 minutes with some controlled phase play, finished by a dive over the line from Fiona Gordon. The try was converted by Sarah Blackwood.

A few minutes later, Perthshire made a good break up the right wing, but the ball was lost in contact and Turriff exploited the broken play and scored their first try of the day.

Perthshire’s next two tries both came from sustained pressure, with some good handling by backs and forwards, to be well finished off with some determined running by Lydia McGinley. Perthshire continued their positive play and were rewarded again when Alex Ward used some excellent footwork to beat the defence for a fourth try.

Late in the first half, Lydia was able to keep a clearing penalty kick infield and after some effective offloads and rucks, Heather McKenzie stormed over for a fifth try. Turriff finished the half with a well worked try of their own, taking the half time score to 12-27.

The start of the second half was very evenly contested, but a sharp piece of work from Paula Watson (making a welcome return after a broken arm) 5 metres from the Perthshire goal line allowed Chloe Bennett to make a great break all the way to cross the opposite try line. This sixth try was successfully converted by Sarah.

Turriff put ‘Shire under pressure during the next few minutes and an untidy defensive lineout allowed them to touch down for their third try. Turriff continued to battle hard but some determined defence from ‘Shire kept up the pressure.

A scrum inside the Turriff 22 was taken against the head by Sarah. Heather picked up at number 8 and made a good break. The recycled ball was passed out to Lydia who scored her third try of the day taking the final score to 17-39, an excellent win on the road.

We look forward to playing Moray in our next match at the North Inch on Sunday 17th February with a 2pm kick-off. All welcome to cheer the women on along in the Plat campaign. We wish Turriff well for the rest of their season.

Photos taken from Gareth The Photographer.

Lismore 3 – 7 Perthshire Women 

Perthshire secure hard-fought victory against Lismore in Edinburgh showdown.

In an exciting clash between Perthshire and Lismore, the Perthshire Women’s rugby team secured a hard-fought victory in an away game at the Edinburgh Rugby Ground on Sunday. The match kicked off at 2:00 PM with both teams showcasing their skills in a tough and balanced encounter. The defensive efforts from both sides were commendable, making it a challenging contest for each inch of the field.

Despite numerous attacking opportunities and some strong carries from Perthshire forwards Jess Steele, Claire Rae and Zoe Fummey neither team managed to break through the solid defensive lines.

As the first half progressed, the tension on the field increased and Perthshire ratcheted up their presence in the Lismore 22. In a pivotal moment, Lismore capitalised on a penalty kick, securing three points and taking the lead. The half-time score stood at 3-0, with Lismore holding a narrow advantage.

The second half continued with relentless determination from both Perthshire and Lismore. The battle in the scrums and lineouts intensified, as the pitch conditions deteriorated. Superb defensive tackling from Perthshire’s number 2, Zoe Fummey, earned her the forward of the match accolade and as the clock ticked down and the pressure mounted, Perthshire found themselves in a challenging position.

However, the team demonstrated resilience and tenacity, refusing to concede defeat. In the dying moments of the game, Perthshire executed a brilliant play off their scrum on the Lismore 10m line that culminated in a spectacular try. A pick and go from the number 8 position started a real team try with an excellent pass from Cheryl Ramsay to captain Alex Ward, who went over for the only try of the game.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Perthshire scored to win the match in the last play of the match. The subsequent conversion was successful, adding the crucial extra two points. The final whistle blew with Perthshire securing a dramatic 7-3 victory over Lismore.

Perthshire FOTM: Zoe Fummey
Perthshire BOTM: Chloe Bennett