Bishop's Stortford 1st XV 58 Westcliff 12

Early territorial advantage went to Westcliff as Stortford, facing a brisk breeze, tried in vain to run the ball out of defence. After 4 minutes, the first of several penalties against the home side at breakdowns - this time for failing to release the ball in a tackle - produced 3 points for the visitors through the boot of their flyhalf, Ben McKeith. It took only another 4 minutes, though for Stortford to take the lead via a try to centre, John Stocker, exploiting an overlap created by good forward pressure to dummy over close to the posts. Flyhalf and skipper, Tom Coleman converted. The home side seemed determined to be good hosts though, repeatedly conceding penalties and, 15 minutes into the game they were punished again when McKeith slotted his second penalty to take the score to 7-6. Straight from the drop-out, Stortford again ran the ball, culminating in a great run by fullback, Sam Winter, which saw him touch down in the right hand corner. McKeith missed another penalty opportunity after 20 minutes and it was the home side who scored next with a try by flanker, Dave Aldam, who was in close support as Winter was this time stopped just short of the line, under the Westcliff posts. Coleman's conversion took the score to 19-6. It took only 2 minutes, though for Stortford's indiscipline at the breakdown to cost them another three ponts, as McKeith took the score to 19-9 after 27 minutes and the medicine was repeated 5 minutes later, when Stortford were penalised for obstruction at the base of a ruck under their own posts. A 7 point margin scarcely reflected the superiority of Stortford's attacking play and some balance was restored over the remaining 14 minutes of the half, as Winter scored his second try (and the team's fourth), after John Stocker was stopped only inches short of the Westcliff posts and Coleman kicked a rare penalty from under the posts when a visiting player tried to kill the ball at a ruck. This took the halftime score to 27-12.

The second half saw a bit of a lull in the rate of scoring and it was 14 minutes before Jimmy Rea was given room on the left by good handling in midfield, following a great break by Stocker off an inside pass from Coleman and the winger was able to run round behind the posts to give Coleman an easy conversion. This semed to relax the home side and the next try followed only 4 minutes later, after a well-judged kick ahead by winger Nick Harris (on 12 minutes earlier for the injured, Joe Clarke)was capitalised on by a big tackle by Stocker on the Westcliff fullback, which jolted the ball free for Winter to pounce on it and feed scrumhalf, Tom Banks for an easy run in. Coleman converted, as he did five minutes later, after Maehe Austin took a superbly-timed inside pass from Stocker, who had burst down the left wing, committing three defenders and the flanker stepped inside the covering fullback to touch down. The team's 8th try came 35 minutes into the half, when Jimmy Rea was on the end of some excellent interpassing by the backs, culminating in an extravagant backhanded offload from Coleman for the winger to register his second try. The conversion was adjudged to have flown just wide. The final score of this action-packed game came some 3 minutes later and was the product of fantastic interplay between Banks and second row, Matt Tomlinson, standing in at number 8 for his skipper who had been replaced by his brother Tom midway through the half. It started with a break down the short side of a scrum by Banks and he found Tomlinson supporting on the inside, who then proceeded to weave his long-striding way some 40 yards up the field, committing the last defenders before returning the ball to his scrumhalf, who touched down out wide on the right. This took the final score to a resounding 58-12.

Despite the wide margin, the visitors never gave up the battle, but unable to breach the home side's strong defence, they had to soak up a lot of pressure and a combination of aggressive running and some good passing by both backs and forwards on Stortford's part proved irresistible.

A week off now - for fireworks of a different kind! - but the momentum of recent weeks will need to be maintained for a testing visit in two weeks' time to Gravesend, with whom the spoils were last season shared from two very competetive games.