County hold off Hills to lift U18 Girls’ Club Cup

Stirling County held off a second-half comeback display from Hillhead Jordanhill to lift the U18 Girls’ Club Cup at BT Murrayfield on Saturday afternoon (36-26). County took an early lead in the ninth minute with a try from scrum-half Erin Sinclair after pressuring from the kick-off and remaining in Hills’ 22.Minutes later, County went on the attack once again and managed to claim two tries within minutes of one another, Caitlin McLaren and Vicky Goodwin crossing after finding space out-wide and down the middle before Beth Streets converted both scores.Another try from County, converted by Streets, cemented a comfortable lead going into the break with Hills yet to claim their first points of the match.Half-time: Stirling County 26-0 Hillhead JordanhillAfter the interval, Caitlyn Fraser broke the defence to touch down and extend County’s lead before Hills began to gain momentum and build promising phases of play.Hills then scored their first try of the match through Allana McWilliam and out-half Melanie Grant added the extras to get the team from the west on the scoreboard.Hills then found confidence after securing their first score and managed to claim two tries in quick succession to edge closer to County, Helen Frater and Erinn Foley bursting through on separate occasions with Grant striking a conversion.The match looked to have swung Hills’ way with the majority of play now taking place in County’s 22 and with the ball being spun out wide in search of a winning score, Grant eventually found the line after several phases of play before successfully converting her own score. However, County claimed back possession in the closing stages following a spilled ball and ran a final line of attack in the close quarters as Goodwin danced her way past several defenders to reach over the line for the final try.Full-time: Stirling County 36-26 Hillhead JordanhillPlayer of the Match: Evie Wills (Stirling County)Referee: Alex Pratt  Scottish Rugby Girls’ Club Cup U18 FinalStirling County: Ellen Clark; Niamh Proctor CAPTAIN, Vicky Goodwin, Evie Gallagher, Rebecca More; Evie Wills, Erin Sinclair; Niamh Woods, Laura Manson, Freya Baxter, Eva Donaldson, Erin Watson, Kirsty Martin, Beth Streets, Eilliann Clarke. Replacements: Emily Clark, Ruby Adam, Niamh Feighan, Catherine Mitchell, Caitlin McLaren, Kayleigh Fraser, Sophie Rose.Hillhead Jordanhill: Erin Haldane; Racheal Waddell, Meghan Davis, Helen Frater, Brogan Carberry; Melanie Grant, Niamh Deans; Anne Young, Elis Martin CAPTAIN, Aimee Johnstone, Tallulah Armstrong, Eve Thomson, Allana McWilliam, Lucy Mills, Erinn Foley. Replacements: Christy Smith, Amy Saunders, Zoe Toner, Elissa Burr, Eilidh Kelly. Scottish Rugby Girls’ Club Cup Finals RESULTSU15 Cup: Biggar 27-20 Stirling CountyU15 Shield: Ayr 70-20 LismoreU18 Cup: Stirling County 36-26 Hillhead JordanhillU18 Shield: Annan Hornets 10-46 Cartha Queen’s Park