Wind, hail, rain and shine – whatever the weather at The Ellis, Workington Zebra Finches nonchalantly brushed each element aside.
Despite the changeable conditions the Finches eked out a narrow 7-0 victory against Trafford Metrovic in a thrilling encounter.
This hard-earned victory for Workington avenged their loss at Trafford last November and sees both sides now joint second in Women’s North 2 West, though still well behind runaway leaders Southport.
Despite still missing several key players through injury, the Finches took the match to their guests right from the start and their domination was rewarded on ten minutes when a sequence of well marshalled scrummaging saw Juliet Porter break free to thrust herself over to score her fourth try in three games with Danielle Easdon providing the conversion.
Workington created several more chances to increase their lead – especially with Porter, Elsa Whelan and Grace Weston all on creative form – but a combination of resolute Trafford defence and clumsy handling errors maintained the status quo.
After soaking up the pressure, Trafford began to make regular excursions of their own into Finches territory but they were undone by their hosts’ trenchant, no-nonsense rearguard action – especially with Beth Sunderland and Claire Pooley forging a genuinely solid lock partnership.
They were also well served by the back row trinity of Hannah Thornbery, Fiona McKay and Rose Ann Cleeton who made their presence felt and continue to roll back the years.
For the remainder of the first half, the pendulum swung back and forth as proceedings gradually developed into a human chess match with both sides making carefully crafted moves, but neither able to create that checkmate moment.
The second half began with Workington determined to get the second try with more surges from Porter, Weston and Lauren Coulson but once again Trafford weathered the storm before enjoying a dominant period themselves.
However, as much as they strove hard for an equalising try, they came unstuck against the rock solid Finches wall that oozed Impeccable concentration and sharp alertness.
The perfect example of this came on the hour when Lauren Wilkinson killed a threatening move by producing a thunderous, clinical take out of her opponent on the halfway line.
Not even the arrivals of rain, hail and shine to accompany the strong wind could put off both sides as the cat and mouse tactics dominated the rest of the second half.
Workington held off one more Trafford onslaught in the last five minutes to close out the match and the players’ joyful relief at full time was plain to see.
Just as with preceding victories against Winnington Park and Upper Eden Eagles, so the Finches once more delivered a flawless all round performance with every player putting in a shift.
It’s back at The Ellis for the Finches this Sunday as they host bottom side Burnley and victory will give them outright second place in the table.
