National League Division Two

DESPITE having endured an enforced seven-week break, St Albans' women's side travelled to Crawley on Sunday and put in a ruthless performance that continued where the side had left off before Christmas.

The Saints dominated from the start as they took the game to their long-established rivals and took the lead within ten minutes.

Some excellent rucking from the St Albans pack allowed the backs to spin the ball down the line where it found Nikki Jordan and the full-back had no hesitation in racing clear of the cover defence to go over the Crawley tryline.

Instead of pressing home their advantage, the women were guilty of resting on their laurels and their hosts were quick to take advantage as they levelled the scores from a push-over try.

This was the cue for the St Albans forwards to take over and they dominated the remainder of the game providing a seemingly endless source of quality possession for their backs.

When centre Zoe Deeks was fed into a gap by fly-half Sophie Mills she looked certain to score but some fine Crawley defence brought her down at their five-metre line.

The Saints remained patient, confident that, with all the possession they were enjoying, they would gain their reward and it finally came when Siobhan Hart went over in the corner to re-establish her side's lead.

Although, the hosts raised their games to try and muster an equalising score, St Albans were rarely threatened and they put the icing on their cake late on when scrum-half, Becky Ellis, finished off a fine move and, with it, the scoring.

The win sets up an intriguing battle with league leaders, Henley, on Sunday February 11, when a St Albans victory will make promotion a real possibility.