BOTH Wellington Vixens and Sidmouth found themselves without rugby games on Sunday and a friendly was arranged at the Athletic Ground between the teams who both playin NC3 South West Central, with the home side taking the honours.

Sidmouth won the toss and elected to play up the slope in the first half. From the first whistle both teams battled for ascendancy up front. Wellington had to put up a strong defensive display against a powerful Sidmouth pack.

After a sustained period of defence, the Vixens got into their stride with a fine break up the middle by Min Beer seeing Steph Stanyard racing up in support wide to receive and race over the white wash wide out to open the scoring. The extras were missed.

From the restart the Vixens went through the phases of play before fly half Violet Coppin found space and raced away to score under the posts to score the second, the extras were added by Lara Grabham-White.

The game became a bit of an arm wrestle up front before the Vixens worked backs move again putting Violet Coppin in space and she raced in under the posts for the third try and her second. The extras were added by Taylor Wetherall.

Sidmouth then applied their own pressure with fine forwards move releasing their centre to race in and score with the extras missed.

The Vixens regrouped and after an attacking passage of play scrum half Natalie Anderson darted in for the fourth try, the extras were missed.

Sidmouth applied a lot of pressure in the Vixens own twenty-two and were awarded a penalty which resulted in a driving forwards play seeing the their No 8 drive over just wide of the posts, with the extras taken the half time whistle went, with the score Vixens 24, Sidmouth 12.

The second half commenced and Vixens continued where they left off, applying pressure on Sidmouth at every opportunity. This eventually resulted in speedster Maxime Pontin racing over for the fifth try, the extras were added by Wetherall.

Sidmouth from a series of penalties gained ground into the Vixens twenty-two and scored a fine try just wide of the posts with the extras were added.

The Vixens bounced back and from a sustained period of play in the Sidmouth half, forwards and backs combined to release Violet Coppin to race around the defence to score wide out for the sixth try and her hat trick. The extras were missed.

Sidmouth countered producing a fine passage of play to see their scrum half dart over wide out for a superb try, the extras were missed.

The game then became quite an attritional affair with both sets of forwards battling it out, before in the dying minutes of the game the Vixens were themselves awarded a penalty allowing them to launch a well worked attack, which saw the ball go to Maxime Pontin who at pace outstripped the defence to race in wide out for the seventh try and her second, the extras were missed.

The final whistle went seeing the Vixens take the honours 41 to 24.

Wellington RFC Vixens player of the match was Lara Grabham-White.

The Vixens are next in action at home against Trowbridge RFC Ladies in an NC3 league game.