Lichfield maintained their second spot in the Championship North league with this bonus point victory over a game and hard working Barnsley side. After a first half in which they were camped in their own half for long periods, scoring two breakaway tries to lead 10-5 at half time was a real bonus for the Red XV.

Whilst the winds were not that strong by kick off time, the fact that the game was played down one end throughout indicates that it had an effect. The game was settled in the ten minutes before the hour mark, as Amy Edmondson scored her side’s third try and Barnsley complained too loudly about it and went down to 14 for ten minutes. Soon afterwards, the Barnsley full back saw red for a tackle deemed to be high and out of control. From then onwards, there was only going to be one winner with Lichfield scoring four more converted tries.

Barnsley are a well coached unit with some talented individuals and were able to exploit early territorial supremacy with a fifth minute unconverted try from the forwards. In a rare excursion into the opposition half, Lichfield were able to give the speedy Karolina Kacirkova just enough room to escape down the left and finish with aplomb. The next time she saw the ball, she raced clear again – using a nifty chip ahead – and she fed Molly Draycott for the

second try. From then on to half time, Lichfield had to work really hard to keep their line intact and their supremacy in the scrum, thanks to the work of Danii Allen, Tanya Bird and Samantha Williams, proved a real hindrance to the visitors.

The second half was easier from the outset for Lichfield, however, a lot of team effort was needed to allow Edmondson to sneak into the corner for that crucial third try on 50 minutes. Facing thirteen for a while, allowed Lichfield to gain real momentum and four more tries followed from Grace Collins, Edmondson, Kacirkova and Draycott, who also converted them all for a very satisfying result before meeting Cheltenham next Sunday at 2.15pm.