Datchworth Ferns travelled to Ampthill for a rare Saturday fixture, intent on extending their strong start to the league campaign. They welcomed back full-back Bobbie Milligan for her first appearance of the season, while Claire Vee finally made her long-awaited debut in the front row a year after joining the club.

With Ampthill short on numbers, the match was played 13-a-side, but a deep Datchworth bench ensured plenty of opportunity for rotation.

The Ferns flew out of the blocks. Within minutes, Elliot Williams powered through for the opening try. Ampthill responded well from the restart, gaining territory and enjoying a solid spell of possession, but could not turn pressure into points.

Storm Claudia had caused disruption across the country, and although Ampthill’s pitch passed an early inspection, the greasy ball led to errors on both sides. One such fumble from the hosts opened the door for Datchworth: a sharp pass released Mily Saunders, who burned past four defenders to score under the posts. Katie Humphreys nailed the conversion.

A powerful run by Captain Grace Atkins set up a sweeping move from the Ferns backs that allowed Sophia Solomon to sprint in for her first try of the season, converted again by Katie.

Despite constant reminders of “UP” from coach Phil, Datchworth briefly eased off, and Ampthill took advantage. A determined series of carries saw the home side break through for their only try of the match, leaving the score 7–21 at half-time.

Injuries saw the teams reduced to 12 players for a period of time, along with uncontested scrums. Datch gave good run outs to relative newcomers Abbie Foggo, Marina Round and Eleanor Johnson, Abbie taking the reins at 9 in the first half and she didn’t flinch.

A near ever present at training and match days, there was much celebration from the Ferns when Lucy Penn scored her first try. Whilst the team didn’t take the easiest route to score, a scrum on the right saw them hustle over to the left where Lucy crashed home.

The momentum kept building. Straight from the restart, Katie burst through from halfway, leaving Ampthill defenders clutching at air. Kerry Grant took over the kicking duties and slotted the conversion.

Though the second half grew fragmented with stoppages, the Ferns still produced moments of quality. From a lineout win, Kerry popped the ball to Katie, who darted through to complete a polished training-ground move.

After a lengthy halt following a high tackle on Mily, Datchworth closed out the match with one final score. Strong carries and sharp offloads edged them to the line before Kerry finished things off.

Full-time: Ampthill 7–41 Datchworth Ferns

As Grace mentioned in her post game captains talk, this was just the run out the Ferns needed. It wasn’t long ago that Datchworth were in the same developmental stage of their women’s programme that Ampthill find themselves in. Ampthill play with exactly the right attitude and spirit, and that approach should help them progress and firmly establish themselves in this league. The Ferns look forward to welcoming them later in the season.

Three league games, three wins for the Ferns. They march on.