A sterling team performance in this closely fought match gave Kilburn their third win of the season, against an experienced Hitchin side looking to overtake them in the league table.

Hitchin started the brighter team, their forwards making plenty of ground before passing the ball out to the backs, resulting in a quick breakaway try after ten minutes, which they then failed to convert.

This seemed to be the catalyst Kilburn needed to fight back, with Suzanne Marlow capitalising on a Hitchin mistake near the halfway line five minutes later. After intercepting a loose pass, Marlow used her superior pace to outrun the opposing back line and score her eighth try of the season. Jen Spano narrowly missed converting the try.

Kilburn continued to pressure a tiring Hitchin team, gaining ground from Trudy Mylrea's kicks to touch, and excellent play in set-pieces by the forwards. Clever play by Brazilian scrum half Chris Morgan, in her first game for the Cosmos, ensured the ball was quickly recycled out to the backs, and Hitchin were lucky to go into the half-time break on equal footing.

Kilburn seemed fired up at the re-start, with prop Huia McKenzie putting in some crunching tackles to thwart Hitchin's attempts to gain ground. Early in the second half, the Cosmos had a try disallowed, however they were not disheartened and five minutes later the forwards again showed their superiority with number 8 Mylrea pushing through several attempted tackles to take the ball over the line for Kilburn's second try. Again Spano was unlucky not to convert.

After that the game belonged to Kilburn, with youngsters Alison Gallagher and Aude Cavalier using their pace to outrun Hitchin's tiring forwards, and gaining ground before getting the ball out to player of the day Marlow, who raced away to score Kilburn's third try of the match.

A late rally by Hitchin was cut short by superb tackles by Gallagher and Ariana Ropiha who battled a knee injury to see the game through to it's conclusion.

The result cements Kilburn Cosmos' position at third in the league table with three matches left to play