Bishop's Stortfofrd 1st XV 99 Havant 7

Stortford got off to the best possible start, as centre, John Stocker won the ball from the opening drop-out and slick handling by backrows, Mark McCraith and Maehe Austin set winger, Jimmy Rea free to run round behind the posts for a 1st minute try, which Tom Coleman duly converted. Far from resting on their laurels, though, the home side, again through Rea scored a second try only 4 minutes into the game, as the winger stepped in off his wing to take a smart inside pass from Austin, breaking away from a good lineout. Coleman converted, as he did again less than 5 minutes later, when McCraith touched down, after Austin himself had gone close. The flanker completed an outstanding 9 minutes when he scored a try himself, after a great burst up the middle by Will Freeston and Hamish Irving. Coleman's routine conversion took the score to 28-0. There was then a bit of a hiatus, as Stortford looked to score from every move and a combination of handling mistakes and stubborn Havant tackling prevented any further scoring until the 26th minute. The scorer this time was centre, Marcus Cattell, returning from a long injury absence, who pounced on the ball at the back of a ruck on the visitors' line, following a good chip ahead and chase by fullback, Sam Winter supported by right wing, Nick Harris. Coleman again converted and repeated the medicine 35 minutes into the game, after substitute front row, Declan Caulfield ran in from 30 yards off a neat pick-up and pass from Austin from a Coleman grubber kick. Another 7 minutes saw second row, Hamish Irving over for a try, afer a strong burst up the middle by openside, Damien Sangster and good linkwork by scrumhalf, Arran Mahoney. Coleman's conversion took the score to 49-0 and it was more than a little surprising when the next try went to the visitors. Trying, once again to force play a little over-ambitiously, Stortford coughed up the ball - this time in their own 22 and compounded this error by failing to tackle, as Havant countered. The result was a converted try to the visitors and this proved to be the final score of the half.

Stortford's start to the second half was not quite as quick as the first, but they had nevertheless registered another 3 converted tries within 12 minutes to take the score to 70-7. These took the shape of a 5 metre drive over the line by second row, Tom McCraith and a touchdown by Harris off a long Cattell pass, picked up on the bounce, between which was sandwiched the best of the three, when Coleman finished off a move set up by a good break up the middle by Mark McCraith off a lineout steal (one of many on the day) by Irving. It took only another 3 minutes for Stocker to score the home side's 11th try, supporting a break by Sangster off yet another lineout steal, after Coleman had made some 50 metres with an excellent touchfind. Coleman's 11th conversion attempt proved beyond him, as did his 12th and 13th from difficult positions, as Austin (bullocking his way past half a dozen defenders from 15 metres out) and Harris (off some good, simple first-time passing) touched down after 25 and 30 minutes to move the score on to 85-7. Harris completed his hat-trick of tries after another 5 minutes, running in from 22 metres, after slick passing from a quickly-taken penalty gave him a glimpse of the line. This time, Stocker stepped forward and kicked the conversion. Scoring was completed 38 minutes into the half with an excellent try by Mahoney, who left the remaining defence flat-footed with a dummy after taking a short pass from Rea, bursting out of Stortford's half on a counter-attack and the scrumhalf sped over from 40 metres. Coleman again took over responsibility to kick the conversion and take the team's total to within one point of 100. Fortunately for master of the scoreboard, Terry Ellis, Stortford's frantic efforts to register another score in the remaining minutes did not succeed, as he faced the prospect of having to act in lieu of a third hook to display an additional digit!

A very different game is in prospect next time out, in two weeks' time, as Stortford visit second-placed Ampthill for a match that could seal their place in the promotion play-off.