Sunday 12th October – Hughenden, Glasgow

Wigtownshire Ladies’ unbeaten start to the season came to a frustrating end on Sunday as they fell 27–21 to a determined Hillhead Jordanhill 2nd XV side in a pulsating encounter at Hughenden.

Shire arrived in Glasgow sitting proudly at the top of the league and, on paper, were favourites to take the points. However, Hills had other ideas and showed right from the off that they were not intimidated by their visitors’ strong form.

Despite a promising start from Shire, it was the home team who struck first with a well-worked try to take an early 5–0 lead. The response from the visitors was swift and clinical — the ever-reliable Sophie Mann powered over the line for a trademark try before converting her own effort to edge Shire ahead 5–7.

Hills came back again, capitalising on a loose passage of play to score their second try and retake the lead at 10–7. Shire regrouped and once again found a response, this time through Amy Vance, who grabbed her first-ever try for the ladies’ team. Mann slotted the conversion to move Shire ahead once more, 10–14.

The game continued at a relentless pace, and the home side showed real fight to notch their third try of the afternoon — this time adding the extras to make it 17–14.

Momentum seemed to be with Hills, but Shire weren’t done yet. Laura McNeil finished off a well-constructed attacking phase, and Mann added another pinpoint conversion to swing the score back in the visitors’ favour at 17–21.

With the game finely poised, Hills refused to back down. Their determination was rewarded when they secured their bonus point try, reclaiming the lead at 22–21.

As the clock ticked down, Shire had the opportunity to seal the win with a late penalty. Instead of taking the kick at goal, they opted to run the ball in search of a bonus-point try — a decision that would ultimately cost them dearly. The move broke down, Hills countered superbly, and the hosts raced the length of the pitch to score the decisive points and clinch the match 27–21.

It was a tough lesson for Wigtownshire, who looked demoralised at the final whistle knowing they had let the game slip from their grasp.

Hillhead Jordanhill named Niamh Wilson as their Player of the Match for her powerful running and tireless defensive work. For Shire, the honours were shared between Rhianna Bodle and Sophie Mann, both of whom impressed throughout with their work rate and leadership.

While the defeat will sting, the Shire squad remain determined to bounce back quickly and ensure this is their only slip of the season. They’ll have no easy task this weekend, however, as they travel to Greenlaw to take on Stewartry Sirens in what promises to be another fiercely contested fixture.

Kick-off is at 2pm, and the team will be hoping for strong travelling support to help lift them back to winning ways.