Stornoway Rugby Club Ladies maintain 100 per cent bowl record

Another convincing victory for the island girls saw them secure maximum points in their pool having also secured bonus point wins in their first two games.

Stornoway Ladies desire to compete, at any level, has seen them continually develop new friendships along the way and it’s safe to say Bishopton have been added to that list.

But worthy of note is the welcome given to the island girls from the Bishopton side which is was truly what rugby is all about.

The Glasgow side picked Stornoway up from their hotel, transported them to the game and then again on to their hospitality at their clubhouse. It must be noted, that the Bishopton side went out of their way to ensure the game went ahead. With their own pitch being waterlogged and their men’s game being called off, the ladies hired an all-weather facility at the nearby Renfrew Leisure centre, ensuring that the game took place.

After a beautiful morning, the weather quickly closed in and both sides were to endure driving snow and severe and bitterly cold winds. The early exchanges were even, with both sides finding their feet in the poor conditions. Stornoway were to open the scoring on 12mins when Georgia Amor crossed the line for the first of her brace.

She followed this up two-minutes later, pouncing on a Bishopton mistake and stretching the visitors lead to 0 - 10.

Captain Emma Scaramuccia was next to cross the line on the 20min mark, with Annis Anderson slotting the extra points, pushing the islanders to a 0 - 17 lead. Iona Cooper sealed the bonus point on the half hour mark and again, Anderson slotted the extras, seeing Stornoway turn at the half time whistle with a massive 24-point cushion.

Despite Bishopton only playing their second competitive fixture, they showed great courage, particularly after the break. They enjoyed their best spell in the opening minutes of the second period but stubborn Stornoway defence was to hold them out. Testament to the Glasgow sides resolve was that they held the islanders to only one score, this coming from Ealasiad Nicleoid which was again converted by Anderson to see the score stretch to 0 - 31. Injury to one of the Bishopton girls and the deteriorating weather saw the referee take the decision to call the game at 60min. It’s fair to say that both sides were not against this decision as the weather had really turned, meaning it was almost impossible to play any constructive rugby.

The Stornoway side never looked like losing and their experience was key. Bishopton showed great heart and never gave up, despite having very few chances to put the visitors under pressure. Strong performances from Mo Morrison and man of the match Johanna Erny being the pick of the bunch.

Coach Angus Mackay beamed: “It was great for the girls to get a result today, in what turned out to be pretty atrocious conditions. Between the weather and playing on an all-weather surface, it took a little bit of time for the girls to settle but once they were able to put a few phases together, they never looked like losing.

“It was a bit scrappy at times, which you would expect with the wind and snow but both sides stuck at it and credit to them for that.

“The hospitality offered to the girls afterwards from their Bishopton counterparts was simply fantastic and it’s fair to say that the island side have made new friends.”

Hamilton are the visitors this week for the final pool game with the match scheduled to kick off at 10am at Bayhead.