Written : Wednesday 22nd Oct 25Match Report: Horsham Lionesses vs Cranfordians Women
Date: 19 October 2025
Venue: Horsham RFC
Result: Horsham Lionesses 0 – 78 Cranfordians Women
Dominant Display in the Rain as Cranfordians Run Riot
The Cranfordians Women travelled to old rivals Horsham RFC for their latest NC3 fixture. Both teams have progressed through the Inner Warrior league system over the past two years, making this a familiar and eagerly anticipated clash.
Despite torrential rain throughout, spirits were high and the Cranfordians delivered a commanding performance, continuing their strong start to the league season.
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First Half: Fast Start, Fierce Pressure
From the opening whistle, Cranfordians set the tone. Off the first scrum on halfway, the ball was quickly worked out to Tabs, who spotted a gap in Horsham’s angled defence and sliced through to score under the posts.
Relentless defensive pressure led to an attacking scrum inside the Horsham 22. After a dominant scrum from the forwards, Dempsey picked and attacked the line, offloading beautifully to Tabs, who fed Becky. Running one of her now-trademark lines, Becky powered through for the second try.
Horsham’s attempts to regain ground were stifled. A scrum deep in their own territory saw excellent pressure from the Cranfordians forwards, forcing a turnover by Anna. The ball was quickly spread wide and Harriet sprinted around the defence to add another.
Pippa’s powerful carry from the restart gained 15 metres, setting up another attack. Dempsey drove upfield, and from the breakdown, Laura broke a double tackle out wide and sprinted in from 40 metres to score.
Shortly after, Becky showed her footwork out wide to bag her second try, a near replica of the previous effort.
More strong carries from Joss and Pippa, followed by a barnstorming run from Ashley, set the stage for slick hands out wide. Harriet once again outpaced the defence to secure her brace.
With momentum firmly in hand, Bex ran intelligent, arcing lines and linked up well with Rachel, who was only just brought down short. From the resulting penalty, Cranfordians opted for the corner. A textbook catch-and-drive followed from the lineout, with Dempsey crashing over to round out an emphatic first half.
?? Half-time score: Horsham Lionesses 0 – 45 Cranfordians Women
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Second Half: Ruthless Execution in Tough Conditions
To their credit, Horsham came out fighting in the second half, applying more pressure and making Cranfordians work hard at the breakdown. But discipline and structure held firm, allowing Ashleigh to take a quick tap and launch a fresh attacking phase.
Strong carries from the second-row pair again put Cranfordians on the front foot. Laura made another break, getting an offload away to Becky, who impressively gathered a low pass and weaved through multiple defenders to complete her second consecutive hat-trick.
After a competitive period, Anna struck against the head at scrum time, underlining the pack’s dominance. Erin stepped into the second row for her first taste of forward play, and the momentum continued.
Collette linked well with the backs, with Eloisa carrying strong and Tabs putting Elle through with a perfectly timed pass — finished, as always, in classic Elle style.
A second penalty kick to the corner brought another catch-and-drive opportunity. This time Laura dotted down, capping off another well-executed maul and a fantastic shift from the forwards.
Anna was ready and waiting for the restart, making another strong carry. Eve and Crabbers added valuable metres, with Crabbers making an impact on both sides of the ball all afternoon. Quick ball went to the backs, and Soph hit a smart line to burst through and score under the posts.
With time winding down, Horsham tried to kick to touch after a Cranfordians penalty but instead found a gleeful Elle. She gathered cleanly, shrugged off multiple defenders and sprinted down the touchline to score her second try — the final act in an outstanding team performance.
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Full-Time: Horsham Lionesses 0 – 78 Cranfordians Women
Despite the tough weather, the Cranfordians showcased cohesion, flair, and physicality from 1 to 22. A brilliant performance across the park.
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Try Scorers
• Becky (3)
• Harriet (2)
• Elle (2)
• Laura (2)
• Lou
• Tabs
• Soph
Conversions
• Soph (6)
• Harriet (2)
• Becky (1)
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Next Fixture
Tunbridge Wells (Cup Game)
Cranleigh RFC
26 October 2025
Kick-off: 2:00 PM
