From 29–0 Down to Derby Day Glory!
Dorking U14 Girls 36–34 Old Reigatians U14 Girls
Dorking U14 Girls produced a remarkable second-half comeback to secure a thrilling 36–34 victory over local rivals Old Reigatians in Sunday's friendly at Big Field, showing incredible character, resilience and teamwork along the way.
With a 10am kick-off, Dorking faced an uphill battle in more ways than one. Playing up the slope in the first half, and with the team still finding their rhythm and familiarity with one another, it was Old Reigatians who dominated the opening exchanges.
The visitors ran in five tries, converting two, to establish a commanding 29–0 lead. Dorking struggled to establish any real momentum, and injuries to Demi Wells, Sophia Rodrigues Mann and Aoife Moore made matters worse, with Demi unfortunately unable to return to the action.
But if the first half was one to forget, what followed was something special.
At half-time, captain Lucy Cowlin led the girls in an honest assessment of what wasn't working. Impressively, they identified the issues themselves, demonstrating the growing maturity and understanding within the squad.
The message from the coaches was simple: forget the first half, trust each other and put into practice what we've been working on in training. Focus on our shape in attack and defence, work together and play the rugby we know we're capable of.
And that's exactly what they did.
With the slope now in their favour, Dorking came out for the second half looking like a different team. Heads hadn't dropped, nobody had given up, and the girls were determined to turn things around.
What followed was an extraordinary display of attacking rugby, with six unanswered tries turning the match completely on its head.
Felice Fairservice, Leah El Bizanti, Lucy C and Isla Dixon all crossed the whitewash, while Rosie Matthews added two tries of her own. Rosie also slotted three conversions, although knowing her exceptionally high standards with the boot, she'll probably be more concerned about her 50% conversion rate than the remarkable comeback!
There were outstanding contributions across the pitch. Leah and Harper Stute carried powerfully and consistently made ground, while captain Lucy C led by example with some fierce tackling. In the backs, Rosie and India Rose Grant looked dangerous whenever they had ball in hand, asking constant questions of the OR defence.
Suddenly, from a seemingly impossible position, Dorking found themselves 36–29 ahead.
But this was a local derby, and Old Reigatians weren't finished yet.
With the very last play of the match, OR crossed for a try to bring themselves within just two points. The conversion would have levelled the scores, but the kick drifted wide, and the referee's final whistle sparked celebrations for Dorking.
Final score: Dorking 36–34 Old Reigatians.
As impressive as the six second-half tries were, the biggest highlight of the morning was the character shown by the entire squad. At half-time, 29 points down, the girls could easily have let their heads drop. Instead, they took responsibility, listened, trusted each other and delivered a fantastic team performance.
Following on from their encouraging showing at the Cobham 10s Festival, this was another significant step forward for the group.
There will always be things to work on, but the attitude, resilience and togetherness shown today are exactly what this team is building towards.
A brilliant comeback, a hard-earned win against our local rivals, and plenty for the girls to be proud of. Well done, Dorking!
Dorking U14 Girls Squad
20 players, listed alphabetically by first name.
Aoife Moore, Demi Wells, Eleanor Hilston, Elizabeth Hilston, Ellie Chapman, Eve Barlow, Felice Fairservice, Freya Webb, Harper-leigh Thomson, Harper Stute, India Rose Grant, Isla Dixon, Leah El Bizanti, Leah Wells, Lucy Cowlin (Captain), Lucy Devaney, Margot Bunel-Dobson, Martha Panes, Rosie Matthews, Sophia Rodrigues Mann.
