Tigers Women win season opener!

It had been 555 days since Castleford Tigers Women had been in match action and it did not take long for them to settle back into the flow of a game and register Kirsty Maroney & Marie Colley’s first wins since taking charge of the side.

A strong first defensive set kept Fev in their own half and the Tigers struck first in their opening attack. The ball moved out to the left wing for 2019 Woman of Steel nominee Kelsey Gentles and as is becoming her trademark she broke the line and finished fending off defenders to cut inside and score after just two minutes played.

On debut, Leah Jones took on the kicking duties, it had been a long wait for Jones to make her maiden appearance after joining Castleford for the 2020 season. Gentles did not have to wait long to get her second, almost a carbon copy of her first!

Centre Tamzin Renouf began the season with intent too after holding off Rovers in a shift play to the right edge to score. She impressed in defence alongside her wing partner Kaitlin Varley who had plenty of Featherstone attack come her way but she handled it all brilliantly on debut. Varley received plenty of plaudits from her fellow players and coaches throughout the match.

Gentles completed her hat-trick off a Sinead Peach high ball which was bundled around the field, Kelsey picked it up and ran in from 10m out. Just before the break, there were examples of the Tigers’ resolute defence to keep Featherstone out as they looked to register their first points before the break, but Cas held firm to take a 22-0 lead into the second half.

Like the first half Castleford scored quickly twice but through a Hollie-Mae Dodd double, the first capitalising off a Fev error and the second through quick thinking and racing to the line. It turned into an arm wrestle with neither side gaining much fluency in their attacks, but Featherstone scored their first points through Brogan Churm with Jess Courtman converting.

Castleford closed out their scoring with prop Grace Field, who looked to come close to powering over near the line only moments before grabbing her first score of the season from short range but needing to turn and twist her arm to get the ball down to score.

A solid performance from the Tigresses in their first match in 18-months, with a number of debutants going well and more senior players to return for selection in the coming games too it had all the good signs to start a season with.

Full Time: Castleford Tigers Women 40-6 Featherstone Rovers Ladies

Castleford

Leah Jones, Kaitlin Varley, Tamzin Renouf, Hollie-Mae Dodd, Kelsey Gentles, Lucy Eastwood, Georgie Hetherington, Jasmine Bell, Sinead Peach (C), Grace Field, Shona Hoyle, Emma Lumley, Rhiannion Marshall

Interchanges: Amie Backhouse, Tilly Churm, Kirsty Duffield

Tries: Gentles (3), Dodd (2), Renouf, Field

Conversions: Jones (6/7)

Featherstone

Keyleigh Bulman, Chloe Billington, Jess Courtman, Hannah Watt, Grace Dyke, Andrea Dobson, Liv Grace, Brogan Churm, Katie Hepworth, Jess Hammond, Brogan Kennedy, Matilda Butler, Cairo Newby, Fran Copley, Jaz Hazell, Deb Smith, Chloe Reynolds, Jesse Matthews

Tries: Churm

Conversions: Courtman