Harrogate RUFC Ladies suffer late heartbreak in defeat to Barnsley RUFC

Harrogate RUFC Ladies on the attack during Sunday's narrow home defeat to Barnsley at Rudding Lane. Picture:s John Ashton/Ickledot Photography

Sunday’s clash at the Apollo Capital Stadium saw the Rudding Lane outfit serve up a performance full of grit and determination, but they eventually came up just short, finishing up on the wrong end of a 24-19 scoreline.

Harrogate started strongly, with stand-out players Lou Dawson and Savannah Leroux using their speed and agility to make progress into Barnsley territory.

When the visitors applied pressure of their own, the home players remained resolute, frustrating their opponents on a number of occasions while holding their own in a series of competitive rucks.

Harrogate RUFC Ladies celebrate a try during Saturday's loss at home to Barnsley.

The South Yorkshire side did eventually manage to break through midway through the first half and it took try-saving tackles from Simone Brooke-Smith and Georgina Youlden to prevent them from adding to their tally.

‘Gate then hit back, Dawson crossing the whitewash to narrow the gap at 7-5 with Em Atwood and Brooke-Smith very much to the fore.

With the half-time whistle approaching, Harrogate scored their second touchdown after Natasha Duggan’s kick sparked a move which ended with Youlden applying the finishing touch following a strong run.

But, falling behind for the first time seemed to spark Barnsley into life and they made it over the whitewash twice in quick succession at the end of the opening period to take a 19-12 lead into the interval.

The second 40 saw Harrogate continue to impress with their work out of possession as they grafted hard to try and keep their visitors at bay, Harriet Braithwaite in particular playing a key role as she continuously filled gaps in the defensive line.

And having managed to repel Barnsley’s advances, the hosts went down the other end and levelled things up at 19-19 through a Leroux try which was converted by Dawson.

But, there was to be a sting in the tail as the visitors snatched victory late on when they crossed for the fourth time.

Next up for Harrogate’s 1st XV is an away fixture at Bishop Auckland November 6, while their 2nd XV play at home against Doncaster on the same date.