Bishop's Stortford 1st XV 35 Canterbury 24

The game started at a furious pace, with both sides determined to bring their threequarters into play at every opportunity. The first breakthrough went to the visitors after 8 minutes, when they ruthlessly punished a missed tackle in the centre to crash over for a try out wide on the right - despite a tremendous cover tackle by Nick Harris. The conversion was missed and the lead lasted barely a minute, as Stortford claimed the ball from the restart, good ground was made by flanker, Damien Sangster and it was Harris' turn to touch down out wide, following quick handling along the line, which gave him a couple of yards of space some 20 yards out. Tom Coleman's conversion attempt went narrowly wide and the balance of the game seemed to turn against the home team when, on 14 minutes, no. 6, Maehe Austin was yellow-carded for a high tackle. Stortford's 14 players, though remained undaunted and a great break out of defence by John Stocker took play some 50 metres into the Canterbury 22, where a penalty was awarded against them for offside in front of the posts and Coleman made no mistake with the goal kick after 17 minutes. Better was yet to come, however, for the large number of home supporters, as Coleman added a try after 23 minutes, dummying past two defenders to score under the posts. The conversion meant that the side had added 10 unanswered points during the yellow card period - due reward for their adventurous backs' play, supported by a fully committed pack of forwards, managing to more than hold their own against the visiting 8. This was rewarded with a penalty for a frontrow offence at a scrum, 32 minutes into the game and Coleman stepped up to register another 3 points, taking the lead to 18-5. Having seen flashes of the potential of Canterbury's backs, Stortford seemed committed to the principle fo attack being the best form of defence and continued to spread the ball wide, whenever possible. Another penalty against the visiting front row after 40 minutes created another opportunity and a clever grubber kick from Austin, saw fellow-backrow, Mark McCraith gather up the ball and fire out a superb long pass to left wing, Jimmy Rea, who did really well to force his way over the try line despite the attentions of a couple of defenders. The conversion from the left wing again proved just beyond Coleman's compass, but a halftime scoreline of 23-5 surely exceeded the expectations of even the most bullish of Stortford supporters.

The start of the second half saw Stortford substitutes, Declan Caulfield and Matt Chambers come on for hooker, Richie McMillan and No 8, Mark McCraith, who took his brother, Tom's place in the second row, after both he and McMillan had suffered knocks towards the end of the first period. These personnel changes did not seem to reduce the home side's momentum and it was the big Exeter University backrow, Chambers who touched down for Stortford's bonus point try after 5 minutes, seizing on a great grubber kick from Harris, as he was closed down by his opposite number wide on the right. The conversion attempt, once again went astray, but Coleman made no mistake some 13 minutes later, when he converted an excellent try by Stocker, who ruthlessly exploited a 2 on one created by two tremendous long passes in midfield to go over close to the posts. Canterbury continued to battle, though their backs generally semed to lack the cohesion of their home counterparts. Nevertheless, it was the visitors that scored the next try when, once again, they took full advantage of a missed tackle - by a Stortford forward - for their centre, Paul Brown to crash over after 22 minutes. The missed conversion left the score at 35-10. Stortford were soon again, though, reduced to 14 players - this time by injury, as No 7, Sangster had to leave the field. There was to be no repeat of Stortford's first-half heroics, when short-handed, as Canterbury surged forward in wave after wave of attack. Stortford managed to repel a series of forward drives on their line, but had no answer when, after 34 minutes, the ball was fed out to their flyhalf, who spotted a great run by his left wing, crashing in from the opposite flank to touchdown under the posts. The conversion took the score to 35-17 and the game seemed far from over, when some uncharacteristically weak tackling by Stortford allowed the visitors to run the re-start kick straight up the middle, culminationg in another maul on the home line. The Canterbury forwards this time needed no help rom their backs, driving over themselves for a second converted try in very short order. Stortford's 14 men refused to wilt under the growing pressure, though and continued to threaten intermittently, although most of their work now was defensive. This was sufficiently sound for them to see out the remaining minutes of the game without really looking like conceding a further score.

With some 250 supporters having sat down to the pre-match lunch and the crowd on the touchline surely increased by at least a further 150 spectators, the celebrations of a great season - by far the Club's most successful in league rugby - aznd a rousing final victory will surely still be going on back at the Clubhouse.

Congratulations to the whole 1st team squad on having given us a tremendous season's entertainment and to their coaches, under Head Coach, Peter Engledow whose last game in charge this was, as he moves to take up an important teaching job in Ipswich.