Havant 5 Bishop's Stortford 1st XV 60

Having failed to make telling use of early possession, Stortford soon found themselves behind against bottom of the table, Havant when a long miss pass was dropped out wide on the left and this was seized upon by the home team's outside centre, who took the last tackle and set his left wing, James Sutton free to run in from 50 yards out. Within 6 minutes a still stuttering Stortford side were within 2 points through a penalty kicked by skipper, Tom Coleman after pressure on the ball from the restart forced an offence at the breakdown. It took only another 2 minutes for the visitors to take the lead via an excellent try from right winger, Harry Marner after his forwards had first of all driven hard up the middle and good passes from Tom Coleman and centre, John Stocker gave the winger enough room to round his opposite number and touch down close enough to the posts to give Coleman an easy conversion. Almost straight from the dropout Stortford again took possession and good ground made by second row, Hamish Irving was capitalised on by flanker, Richard Gill to break through the middle and provide space to No 8, Matt Tomlinson, who outpaced the cover defence to touch down out wide. Coleman managed to convert off the crossbar to take the score to 5-17 only 10 minutes into the game. As both sides struggled to string phases together, with Stortford in particular being guilty of some harum scarum rugby, there was no futher score for 25 minutes, but it was the visitors again who broke the deadlock with a second penalty for Coleman for another breakdown offence by Havant under their own posts. Stortford's adventurous approach finally paid off 37 minutes into the game, when a switch pass from Coleman to Stocker in their own 22 gave the latter some room, which he utilised to run hard on an outward curve to round the Havant left wing and cut inside again, reaching the home 22, where he found winger, Nick Harris in support to run in for a try under the posts. Coleman converted to take the halftime score to 5-27.

After 4 minutes of the second half, Stortford registered another try, when Stocker shook off three tackles to burst over under the posts, after a great clean steal of a Havant lineout by Tomlinson. Coleman duly converted but this seemed to fire up the home side and the visitors had to put in 15 minutes of very hard defence to keep their line intact. Stortford eventually managed to fight their way into the Havant half and a good drive up the middle by Will Freeston, (on shortly before for hooker, Scott Romaine) and a neat pass found centre, Wayne Child who burst over for another try under the posts. Coleman converted. Havant were still showing commendable spirit, but a yellow card for their hooker, Pete Austin for a cynical offence at a breakdown after 33 minutes of the half seemed to knock the stuffing out of them. Although Stortford's drive from the lineout after the resultant penalty was held up over the line, Coleman managed to squeeze his way over from the resultant scrum for another converted try. Stortford went on to take full advantage of their extra man, with Gill scoring two tries, both converted by Colemen in the last 5 minutes of the game. The first was literally a gift from Stocker, who had already crossed the line off an inside switch from his flyhalf, but the second was a solo effort by the flanker, who broke from the back of a ruck on the Havant 22 to dummy his way over the line.

That's 6 wins in a row now for Stortford, but next week's game at home to Ampthill will offer a significantly sterner test - one, though, which the players will doubtless relish.