Diss 27 BSRFC 1st XV 33

After dominating the first half, Stortford once again demonstrated what generous guests they can be by allowing Diss to win two late bonus points. Although some disappointment might be felt at our failure to secure our own bonus point via a fourth try, this was ultimately a game well won against a very determined Diss outfit.

The early phases of the game gave no clue as to how close the match eventually would be and Stortford scooted into a 7 points' lead within 2 minutes, when Ben De Grandis marked his league debut with a tremendous try, weaving his way through the heart of the home defence from halfway. Tom Coleman converted and added two penalties on 12 and 16 minutes for offences at the breakdown, as Stortford's forwards secured a succession of good possession, exercising particular dominance at the lineout. After 23 minutes, the lead was extended to 20 points, with a try behind the posts for winger, Joe Clarke, set up by Jimmy Rea, capitalising on an overlap created by a slick loop movement between Coleman and inside centre, Nick Harris. Eight minutes later, though, the hosts' battling play was finally rewarded with a try under the posts by their fly half, taking advantage of some good fortune for their forwards in winning an untidy lineout, which Stortford had almost stolen from them. The conversion reduced the gap to 13 points, but this was widened to 16 on the stroke of halftime, with Coleman again converting a penalty – this time for crossing by the Diss backs, as they tried to run out of defence.

The hosts came out hard at the start of the second half and after only three minutes, their fullback kicked the second of two penalties conceded by Stortford in quick succession at breakdowns. Within five minutes, though, Stortford had widened their lead again with a try wide out by winger, Ed Merrivale after a perfectly judged crosskick by Coleman from a penalty in front of the posts, when almost everyone on the ground had been expecting him to go for goal. He duly added the difficult conversion. Ten minutes later, Diss notched up their second try after a number of assaults on the Stortford line by their forwards; following a 5 metre lineout committed too many of the Stortford defenders on the right wing and simple passing along the Diss backline gave the left winger a clear run in. Within five minutes, Coleman had kicked another penalty for one of many offences by both sides at the breakdown, to take the score to 15-30 and, when within a minute the Diss left winger was yellow-carded, it seemed that the game was all but over, with less than 20 minutes to go. The home side had other thoughts, however, and saw out the 10 minutes with 14 men without conceding a point – due to a combination of their dogged defence and some rather casual play by Stortford. Things changed dramatically when, within 2 minutes of Diss being restored to 15 men, Stortford suffered their own yellow card – crucially to skipper Mark McCraith, paying the penalty for a succession of infringements at breakdowns by the team. The home side took immediate advantage of the extra man, stealing ball from a Stortford scrum in their own 22 and it took only one pass to see them touchdown out wide. The visitors were, once again guilty of some slack play when, having put Diss under pressure from the resultant dropout, they allowed them to work the ball free, allowing their full back to chip ahead and gather to score under the posts. His own conversion took the score to 33-27 and this proved to be the final action of the game – to the considerable relief of Stortford's large contingent of supporters!

It has to be said that on the overall balance of play, it would have been a travesty, had Stortford not prevailed and the tight finish will undoubtedly counter any future tendency to relax until a game really is totally put to bed!