Cardiff Demons competed well in the inaugural RFL Women’s Rugby League Nines in Warrington, winning their first two games, but came short in the deciding group match against group favourites York City Knights.
York, along with the other group winners, St Helens, Leeds Rhinos, Catalans Dragons and Huddersfield Giants, will now play in a finals event in Salford in July, where they will likely be joined by the hosts.
CARDIFF DEMONS 19 LEIGH MINERS 4
Cardiff took their time to get into the game and Leigh took the lead after Ellise Derbyshire raced down the left wing to score. The try went unconverted.
However Cardiff went into half-time 7-4 ahead when Leanne Burnell raced under the sticks with Charlie Mundy converting.
In the second half, Bryonie King ran the length of the pitch for Cardiff’s second try. It went unconverted and Demons were leading 11-4.
Lowri Norkett added the next two tries, scoring in the corner each time. Mundy was again unable to land either kick but Cardiff were 19-4 up.
The match had to be held up for ten minutes after a head injury to a Leigh player, and on resumption, Cardiff nearly got a fifth after Heather Rees was put through following good work from Rafiuke Taylor, but the newcomer was unable to outrun the Leigh players.
CARDIFF DEMONS 29 BRADFORD BULLS 4
Cardiff took the lead late in the first half when Katie Carr picked up a loose ball to score on the corner.
Lily Williams raced through for the equaliser for Bradford before Heather Rees raced through for Cardiff’s second, a five-point try, just before the interval. Charlie Mundy converted to put Cardiff 11-4 up at half-time.
Cardiff increased their lead just after the break with a five-point try from Eleri Michael which Mundy improved.
Rees then got her second five-pointer with Mundy converting again.
Joeann McGuire added the final try which went unconverted to give Cardiff a healthy 29-4 victory.
CARDIFF DEMONS 0 YORK CITY KNIGHTS 26
Cardiff Demons lost for the first time in the club’s history as York, who had also won two out of two, eased into finals day.
Georgie Hetherington scored York’s first try early in the match which went unconverted. Bettie Lambert soon added to the score after being given too much space on the wing.
Kelsey Curtles added a third with a five-point try that Olivia Gale converted to give them a 15-0 lead at half-time.
Hetherington added her second just after the interval before Rhiannon Marshall also went over, the second being converted by Gale.
CARDIFF DEMONS SIDE
2 Heather Rees
3 Lowri Norkett
4 Joeann McGuire
5 Eleri Michael
7 Rafiuke Taylor
8 Lauren Aitken
10 Stacey Wright
11 Bryonie King
12 Charlie Mundy
14 Leanne Burnell
15 Rosie Carr
19 Seren Gough-Walters
23 Ffion Jenkins
26 Sophie Solari
28 Katie Carr
GROUP A
Bristol Golden Ferns 4 Barrow Raiders 24
Warrington Wolves 17 St Helens 17
Bristol Golden Ferns 0 Warrington Wolves 29
St Helens 29 Barrow Raiders 0
Bristol Golden Ferns 0 St Helens 40
Barrow Raiders 4 Warrington Wolves 14
GROUP B
Featherstone Rovers 0 Leeds Rhinos 36
London Broncos 27 Warrington Lunas 4
London Broncos 15 Featherstone Rovers 8
Leeds Rhinos 32 Warrington Wolves 0
London Broncos 4 Leeds Rhinos 18
Warrington Lunas 0 Featherstone Rovers 51
GROUP C
Hull FC 0 Catalans Dragons 35
Wakefield Trinity 0 Wigan Warriors 33
Hull FC 10 Wakefield Trinity 25
Wigan Warriors 10 Catalans Dragons 18
Hull FC 0 Wigan Warriors 30
Catalans Dragons 33 Wakefield Trinity 4
GROUP D
Oulton Raiderettes 21 Salford Red Devils 31
Huddersfield Giants 34 Castleford Tigers 6
Oulton Raiderettes 11 Huddersfield Giants 25
Castleford Tigers 4 Salford Red Devils 26
Oulton Raiderettes 12 Castleford Tigers 4
Salford Red Devils 14 Huddersfield Giants 24
GROUP E
Cardiff Demons 19 Leigh Miners 4
Bradford Bulls 0 York City Knights 26
Cardiff Demons 29 Bradford Bulls 4
York City Knights 8 Leigh Miners 0
Cardiff Demons 0 York City Knights 26
Leigh Miners 8 Bradford Bulls 12