Captain and coach are full of praise for their troops

Friday 30th October 2009, 2:29PM GMT.

Guernsey players (in blue) look to form a ruck as an opponent is tackled. (0863883)

GUERNSEY Ladies are taking big strides forward as the performance in only their second match demonstrated at the weekend.

They travelled to Jersey for a rematch with United Banks, keen to improve on their first outing against opposition who had beaten them 53-12 in September.

After a hard month of training the Guernsey players were confident going into the game with six making their debuts.

The first half saw Banks control the game as Guernsey struggled to get going after a long boat-ride over.

However, although they dominated possession, Banks were unable to break down Guernsey’s strong defence.

On the rare occasions Guernsey did get the ball in hand, they showed glimpses of their potential by passing the ball around and trying to keep it alive with the midfield combination of Jemma Crouse, Fiona Dawson and Lisa Jackson looking for the openings.