The Harlequin Ladies opened their sevens season with success at the Wimbledon tournament last Saturday (7th May), writes Jo Everett.
Quins faced Camberley in their opening game and were quick to off-load in contact, allowing Kate Sinfield and Jo Everett to run on and score tries in the first half. Camberley scored early in the second, but two tries from Donna Tracey secured a victory for Quins.
Harlequins began their game against Fullerians in a defensive position. Fullerians came close to crossing the line on several occasions, but a well-organised defence from Quins and several unlucky moments for their opposition kept them from scoring. Sinfield scored her second try of the afternoon, before Chevonne Rennison crashed through for her first.
Next up and Quins faced London Welsh in what would be their closest game of the tournament. They took an early lead with Sinfield scoring and converting her try, but a sleepy Quins defence then let Welsh through for their opening score. A second try from Rennison extended Harlequins lead, but the pace of London Welsh soon closed the gap, leaving Quins with only a two-point margin of victory.
In their final game, Quins faced their hosts Wimbledon, and took most of the first half to work their first try. Strong runs by Sinfield and Tracey gave Quins a good field position, despite Wimbledon's strong tackling. From here, guest player Verity Chambers ran in the score. Wimbledon opened the second half with a try out wide and continued to test the Quins defence. Quins persevered and eventually a late try materialised, with Chambers once again running through to score.
The full list of results was as follows:
Harlequin Ladies 22-17 Camberley
Fullerians 0-
12 Harlequin Ladies
London Welsh 10-
12 Harlequin Ladies
Harlequin Ladies 12-5 Wimbledon
Many thanks to Wimbledon for organising a very successful tournament. The next game for Quins Ladies will be their postponed Sue Moloney Memorial Cup match later this month.