Playing into a stiff breeze, Stortford dominated throughout the first half, but struggled to break down a determined Esher defence. With Baxter Wilson and Mark McCraith starting after long injury absences, the visitors seemed to find a new level of intensity and cohesion throughout the side, with Tom Banks and Johnny Neville, back from rather shorter absences also making their presences crucially felt. Another notable feature of the team performance was the great discipline shown in conceding a very small number of penalties, whilst forcing multiple kicks in their own favour. Stortford were well on top at the set scrums, which helped provide territorial dominance, allied with tremendous handling accuracy, allowing the team to run through multiple phases time after time. The first score came from George Cullen's boot, after 10 minutes, when a testing tactical kick from the flyhalf well into the Esher half was backed up with an excellent team chase, forcing a penalty under the posts. Despite much further Stortford pressure on the home 22, Esher managed to keep their line intact and, as time in the half was running out, the visitors settled for another penalty goal from Cullen - this time a much longer-range effort - after 38 minutes. There was just enough time, though for Stortford to show what their backs can do, as Steve Ball took a clean catch from the restart and set up good ball on his own 22. Banks dummied a kick for touch and switched the ball left, where quick hands in midfield gave the ball to winger, Ryan Hutler, who stepped inside and broke a tackle to burst clear and run some 60 yards to touch down in the corner for an unconverted try and an 11 point halftime lead.

Stortford started the second period where they had left off and this time it was right wing, Rob Duff (on in the first half for an injured Chris Smith) who produced an almost identical break to Hutler's to burst through for a try - albeit, in this case having left himself only some 15 yards to run in. An excellent conversion by Cullen took his side out to an 18 point lead with about 9 minutes of the half gone. The visitors looked comfortably in control for the next ten minutes, but Esher then showed the threat that they possess in their outside backs, as their right wing beat his opposite number and made some 40 metres down the touchline. His inside pass, well inside the Stortford 22 was taken by a defender, but he was tackled into touch and the Esher pack were not to be denied from the resultant lineout, demonstrating their skill at the driving maul, which we had seen in the reverse fixture. A great conversion from close to touch further narrowed the deficit, which was reduced almost immediately by another five points, when two tremendous offloads by the home team's centres put their left wing clear for an unconverted try. Stortford proceeded to steady the ship and exerted more pressure on the Esher 22, but it was, nevertheless the home side that scored again after 30 minutes of the half, with a superb solo effort by right wing, Joe Becket. He was admittedly helped when his opposite number went for a death or glory interception right on the Esher line and gave him the initial opening, but he showed tremendous pace to outstrip Stortford's cover defence to run the length of the field. His flyhalf added an excellent conversion to take the home team to within a point of Stortford, thus changing the whole momentum of the game, as Esher went onto all-out attack. It was Stortford's turn to show their defensive tenacity and this was rewarded, as the home side became a little too adventurous, when Rory Banks intercepted a speculative long pass just outside Esher's 22. Three good passes under pressure gave Duff a yard of space, but he was hauled down just short of the line. The ball was quickly recycled, though and fast hands produced an overlap on the opposite wing, which Nick Hankin exploited to dummy his way over close to the posts with 10 or 12 minutes to go, giving Cullen an easy conversion. The two sides were now going at it hammer and tongs, but it was the visitors who now again tended to have the edge and this was made to count, as normal time was running out, when Cullen kicked an excellent penalty from out wide after a breakdown offence. The flyhalf almost rounded off the game with another try, after he took a further interception, but he too was tackled inches short.

This was an impressive win, resulting from a tremendous performance by the whole squad, which will rightly give them new-found confidence to tackle the difficult trips to Plymouth and Darlington.