IT WAS a fantastic showcase of rugby at the Showground on International Women’s Day, with both the club’s youth and senior sides delivering impressive performances.

The day began with the Okehampton RFC U16 girls beating Crediton 34-17 to secure their place in the Devon Cup final, underlining the promising future of the club’s women’s section.

Attention then turned to the senior women, who welcomed Hornets for a crucial second-versus-third clash in the league standings.

Hornets opened the scoring, capitalising on early Okehampton errors and making good territorial gains through well-placed kicks to touch.

Okehampton responded through Issy, who crossed in the corner to level the scores at 5–5. However, she was unfortunately forced to leave the field soon after with a finger injury sustained while scoring.

The home side soon found their rhythm, raising the physical intensity. A well-worked attacking move saw Jaz power over near the posts, with Garnet adding the conversion. Hornets responded quickly to level the match at 12–12, setting up an entertaining and competitive contest.

Okehampton regained the advantage when returning player Phoebe, who had only arrived back from several months of travelling earlier in the week, crossed for her first try of the afternoon.

Moments later, the home side were once again driving forward up the slope, with strong carries and clever offloading creating space for Garnet to step past the defence and score beneath the posts, converting her own try too.

The second half continued in much the same physical fashion and Okehampton began to assert dominance in the set-piece, providing a strong platform for their backs. Phoebe added her second try of the day with another determined run, extending the lead and bringing the final score to 29–12.

It was a highly physical contest throughout, but Okehampton’s grit, defensive organisation and control in the set-piece ultimately proved decisive.

The club extends its thanks to Hornets for an excellent and competitive match and wishes them the best for the remainder of the season. The Okehampton side also hopes for a speedy recovery for any players who picked up injuries during the game.

The women now have a two-week break before returning to the Showground on Sunday, March 22, looking to continue their strong form against Winscombe.