TITLE-CHASING Windsor Dames were held to a 5-5 draw at home to Newbury in their South East West One encounter on Sunday afternoon.

Conditions were bright but a chilly wind cut across the pitches as the Dames warmed up under the shadow of the imposing Windsor Castle.

Having come off the last match against Newbury with a loss, and even more devastatingly, their relegation from the top spot of the league after their match against Guildford the previous week, the Dames had everything to prove in a tricky and important game.

The hosts, playing primarily in Newbury’s half of the pitch, dominated the first half of the match.

Chloe Humphreys, Windsor’s player of the match, cut sensational lines through Newbury’s defensive line and made several excellent breaks.

There were so many opportunities to score tries, but Windsor just could not cross the try line.

There were several close calls, most notably by Sophie Barnett who made an outstanding dash only to be tackled at the five-metre line by Newbury’s full back.

Mariska Vermeer made an amazing break along the wing only to be brutally cut short by the opposition’s vigorously maintained defence yet again.

After half time, disaster stuck for the hosts as Newbury’s attack pushed Windsor aggressively back to their try line, scoring the first points of the match.

However, all was not lost when, 20 minutes of intense play later, Barnett finally broke to deservedly even the score.

The game was far from over at this point. Moments later, the referee granted Windsor a penalty after one of their players was high tackled, but Rachel Humphreys’ shot at goal was held up short of the goalposts by the wind, keeping the score even until the final whistle sounded.

The outcome of means Windsor Dames maintain their second place position in the league ahead of a trip to Cheltenham 2nds this coming Sunday.

Anyone interested in joining the club can attend training at Home Park between 7.30pm and 9.30pm on Wednesday nights.