In the first of a set of round-robin matches which included Cardiff, the Kent side looked to round-off their session with a successful play-off campaign.
However their bid to stay in the Premier South took a knock after they lost 54-34 to a dominant Hertfordshire side.
The first quarter saw the Hertfordshire side strong in attack, and with good pace. Kent were just managing to stay in touch, keeping the gap at quarter time down to just 3 points (10-13).
Into the second quarter and Hertfordshire were even stronger, keeping the scoreboard ticking over with points on each of their possessions. The Kent defence was sloppy, giving away repeated penalties in and around their own defensive D.
However, Kent grew stronger towards the end of the period, perhaps starting to get back into the match. (HT: 20-27). An incident-strewn third quarter, which included a lengthy time-out for an injury to the Kent wing-attack, only served to extend Hertfordshire’s lead. The away team was really bossing the game as the Kent side grew tired. (27-41).
The final quarter was as sloppy and error strewn as the second. It would seem that fatigue later on in the match meant that the gap between the teams greatened. Final score: Hertfordshire 54 Kent 34.
After the match Kent captain Becky Welch said: “We’re disappointed at the moment but considering how far we’ve come since the start of the season we’ve made a massive improvement. “We’re going to rebuild at training and come out fighting ready for the next match.”
Unfortunately, in the match that decided Kent’s fate, Hertfordshire and Cardiff played out a 41-41 draw which eliminated the Kent side from the competition.