Kenilworth Women's Rugby made a successful comeback in their first match for 14 months with a nervy but ultimately convincing win against Birmingham Moseley this Saturday.

Kenilworth relished the opportunity to blow off the cobwebs, and to hand debuts to six new players.

Playing against the wind, Kenilworth spent the majority of the first half an hour camped in their own third of the pitch.

However, their defence held strong and Moseley were unable to turn their territory into points.

Kens' patience paid off late into the second quarter when they were able to string multiple phases of play together, with the forwards drawing in the defence with strong carries, allowing the backs to slip it through the hands to winger Sophie Henry who pulled off a fantastic finish under the posts.

Fatigue started to show in the third quarter, with both teams conceding multiple penalties, and Moseley receiving two yellow cards in relatively quick succession.

However, it was Kenilworth who were punished when a lack of concentration at a penalty allowed Moseley's six to dance through the defence untouched and score under the posts to bring the score to 7-5 to set up a grandstand final quarter.

With 15 minutes to go Moseley looked like they were going to steal the win after scoring a second try, and with Kens' fly half Katie Pittaway being sent to the bin.

However, this was Kenilworth's opportunity to dig deep and show their grit. Captain Aimee Dymek was the beneficiary of multiple phases of forward play, diving powerfully over the line on the left to finish Kens' second score of the game.

This was followed soon by a beautifully worked try. With the Moseley defence stretched, a quick ball allowed debutant Kaz Harris the inch of space she needed to blast through the defence, beating four players to score near the posts and bringing the score back to 12-19.

Kens' finished the final play of the game with a try that typified their performance. Patient, intelligent play and strong carries from both forwards and backs alike brought them to within centimetres of the tryline. This time player-coach Becci Lewis showed her years of playing experience to drive over to finish the match 12-24.

Coach Rich "RB" Bennett said post-match: "We have the upmost respect for Birmingham Moseley for hosting and enabling everyone to get a game under their belts. They gave us top competition that was badly needed.

"The match could have gone either way at the later stages. As Kenilworth Women we showed grit, character and fortitude as a whole group. There will be a lot of sore bodies!"

Kenilworth Women will play Cannock away on the 15 May before the summer break.