OA Saints’ march towards perfection took a monumental step forward on Sunday when they beat third-placed Hampstead 47-30 at Woollams.
The unbeaten Saints top the Championship South East 2 table by 15 points from Blackheath with three games remaining. In fact, Blackheath, who have played one game less, are the only team that can catch OAs, but they will need to win all of their last four games, and take maximum bonus points, to stand any chance.
However, the Saints are, and have been, in imperious form and on Sunday they were at their try-scoring best, crossing the line seven times.
The game was one of OAs closest contests and only captain Katie Robertson’s near perfect kicking – she made six out of seven conversions – gave them breathing space at the end.
A brace of tries from Claire McKenna and one each for Jodie Rettie and Nicky Cameron gave OAs a 28-10 half-time lead but Hampstead fired out of the blocks after the break with scores either side of Sophie Tyler’s touch down to close the gap to 35-20.
The visitors scored twice with four minutes of normal time left to move within five points but the cushion was quickly restored, first by Cameron and then debutant Charlotte Fredrickson.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here