This was a crucial match for both sides, but for very different reasons. Stortford needed a good win to maintain their challenge for the second-placed, promotion play-off position, while Lydney were desperately looking for points to help them overhaul the 7 point lead over them enjoyed by Southend in the battle to avoid the third relegation place.

In the event, things went very much to form, even though Stortford failed to exert the kind of overall control over the match, that they had doubtless set out to achieve. They repeatedly looked to force scoring opportunities form early phases, instead of imposing themselves on the opposition by controlling possession and systematically stretching the Lydney defences, building on the strong platform provided by the pack. Nevertheless, despite turning over a lot of ball through their impatience, Stortford managed to dominate the first half, with converted tries after 5 and 23 minutes to scrum half, Tom Whiteley rounding off some excellent bursts of backplay in which Sam Winter, Nick Hankin, Tom Coleman and George Cullen were prominent, getting them off to a solid start. The first came after a great outside break by Hankin and the second from an impeccable execution of a training-ground move involving some temendous running lines and top-class interpassing, which left the Lydney defenders grasping at air. Conversions by George Cullen and Tom Whiteley respectively took their side out to a 14 point lead. Stortford finally did assume a greater degree of control at this stage and 7 minutes later Whiteley exploited pressure on the Lydney line to draw the defence with a snipe round the base of a ruck before setting winger, Jonny Neville in for a try out wide . The conversion attempt went wide, but the half finished with the home side’s bonus point try, scored by Hankin, rounding off some slick handling by the whole backline from first phase ball. Whiteley's conversion took the score at the break to 26-0.

The second period started slowly, as Stortford seemed to relax and Lydney made them pay with a hard-earned team try after 16 minutes of the half to No 5, Charles Daniell, well converted by flyhalf, Anthony Wicks. The home side never looked like losing control, however, with Winter in particular making a number of crucial strong tackles, on the few occasions that Lydney again threatened. Whiteley’s hat-trick try 11 minutes later from a pinpoint cross kick by flyhalf, Tom Coleman from a penalty only some 5 metres from the Lydney line confirmed this. The difficult conversion by the try-scorer took the score to 33-7. The game was rounded off with 5 minutes left to go, when replacement, Jon George galloped over for an unconverted try after a tremendous break up the middle of the field by No 8, Mark McCraith, making some thirty metres, before finding Jimmy Rea on the wing with a perfect long pass, the winger setting up quick ball when tackled some 15 metres short of the line.

With a hugely successful charity Ladies' Day being run alongside the match, today was a hugely successful occasion at the Club, rewarding not only the tremendous efforts of the First XV squad and their Coaches, but also a lot of hard work by a small band of committed volunteers throughout the preceding week and beyond. It was particularly pleasing that this also included a number of First XV players - the kind of effort which clearly marks our Club apart from many sides at our level, where even playing has to be paid for! Congratulations go to all concerned - and to the Blues, also, who rounded off the day with a convincing ," double-header" league win at Chichester.

Noses to the grindstone now for the First XV squad ahead of next week's tough fixture at Southend.