With winger, Jimmy Rea off to a hamstring injury within a minute of the kick-off, things didn't get off to a great start for Stortford and looked even more ominous, as the Hawks played some great hard, straight running rugby to dominate the early exchanges. Fortunately for the visitors, handling out wide proved to be a bit of an achilles heel of the hosts and the first instance of this, a knock-on in the outside centre channel produced a first score for Stortford, as Nick Hankin seized on the loose ball and ran in from well inside his own half to touch down. George Cullen made a good conversion to take his side out to a 7 point lead. This was, unfortunately short-lived, as Henley ran back a Stortford kick out of defence from the restart, won a penalty and drove over with a powerful driving maul from the resultant touch kick and lineout to register an unconverted try on 8 minutes. Henley were now right on top again with their direct, offloading, running rugby. It was, though their driving maul that once again provided the platform for the next try, after 15 minutes, with two individual bursts off the back of breakdowns close to the Stortford line bringing the touchdown. The successful conversion took the score to 12-7. The visitors bounced back and, almost from the kick-off produced possibly the best try of the match, when great interplay in midfield between Cullen and Marcus Cattell created a clean opening for Tom Whiteley to sprint over close to the posts, giving Cullen an easy conversion. The home side, once again, surged back onto the attack, but some stubborn defence held them out and, after 25 minutes, it was a great rip of the ball by Hankin from the grasp of the Henley pack on his own 22 that allowed the centre to set his scrumhalf free down a narrow blindside and Whiteley's pace was enough to see him in for a second try. Cullen's conversion attempt flew wide, leaving his side 12-19 up. In this seesaw match, it was no surprise that Henley came straight back onto the attack and, once again, their driving maul proved too powerful for Stortford to hold out and an unconverted try out wide after 30 minutes resulted. This time, there was no immediate reprieve for Stortford, as the Henley machine once more rolled remorselessly forward, producing another mauled try after 35 minutes - this one from some 20 yards out - to regain a 5 point lead for the home team. Stortford failed to win the restart, but a lineout steal by Jon George from a resultant Henley lineout gave his scrumhalf a chance to complete his hat-trick, which he did in style, with a dummied kick and diagonal dart form some 25 yards out past several floundering defenders to touch down close to the posts. Cullen's conversion took the halftime score to 22-26.

Stortford started the second period more confidently and, within 2 minutes had another try, when Sam Winter touched down out wide from a Whiteley grubber kick that bounced awkwardly for the covering Henley fullback. The visitors' lead was stretched to 12 points some 8 minutes later, when Cullen coolly converted a penalty, after Henley were penalised at a scrum, which was driven back at a rate of knots. Four minutes later, though and the referee spotted something untoward in another successful Stortford drive at a scrum and gave the penalty to the home side. A kick for touch in the visitors' 22 was enough to set up yet another try from a driving maul and the conversion narrowed the Stortford lead to 5 points. With only a couple of all too brief periods of respite, the rest off the match comprised an arm wrestle between a resurgent Henley, attacking on all fronts and a determined Stortford defence that was colossal - particularly during the prolonged periods spent pinned in their own 22. The visitors were, nevertheless, penalised a number of times and this culminated, after 30 minutes of the half in replacement flanker, Hugh Michell being yellow-carded for an accumulation of team offences. His 14 team mates still proved resolute in their defence, though and, helped by turnovers at a Henley lineout and a Henley scrum, it looked as if they might manage to hold out for a remarkable win. A freekick awarded against them apparently before a Stortford scrum had even bound, though proved to be decisive in once more giving the powerful Henley team possession in the visitors' 22. Time was now virtually up and, despite the clock having moved beyond 40 minutes - and, therefore beyond Michell's 10 minutes' sin bin period - Stortford were still down to 14 men, as the home side launched a final all-out assault on the Stortford line. Despite further defensive heroics, Henley were not to be denied and it was - almost inevitably - a forward that once again forced his way over the try line. With the scores now level, the whole of the large crowd - many of them over from Hertfordshire - held its collective breath, as the conversion was carefully lined up, but the well-struck kick flew narrowly wide to see both sides through to the final whistle with 3 league points.