The Owls started brightly, scoring two early tries to settle their nerves. Firstly Kimberley Hutchins made a break from the halfway line and shortly after this, Yas Amber made a similar break to score the second.

Chelmsford worked hard to get back into the game and they not only held the Harwich attack at bay but also threatened the Owls’ try line only to be met by some strong tackling, particularly by Mimi Montgomery and the indomitable Amber. The Harwich pack began to assert their authority at the breakdown, allowing the Owls’ backs to put the Chelmsford defence on the back foot. With fly half Annalise Allan orchestrating the attack superbly, Hutchins was again able to find space in the visitors defence to score again. Allan had converted all three first half tries to give Harwich a 21 - 0 lead at halftime.

The home side kept up the pressure in the second half. From a penalty near the Chelmsford line Beth Lemessurier made a powerful run but was stopped just short of the line. However, Naomi Dobner, who had worked tirelessly throughout the match, was on hand to crash through the tacklers to score a try.

Indiscipline began to creep into the Owls’ game and this had a detrimental impact on the home side’s ability to keep the Chelmsford side under pressure. When Harwich were able to play with a decent level of continuity they became an unstoppable force. Hutchins scored her hat-trick try and this was soon followed by a try from Montgomery who broke through three tackles before crossing the line to score.

With the Owls finishing strongly they kept the best try for last. Quick rucking by the pack and quick handling by the backs saw winger Dena Gibbons sprinting past the defence before offloading the ball to Allan to score in the corner. This was the only conversion missed by her in an otherwise flawless display of kicking.

Overall Harwich put up a classy display of attacking rugby backed up with a solid defensive show. This will hopefully demonstrate that they can hold their own in their new league.

Report by Walter Blacker