The home side got off to a flying start with a try to Aguile Smith with barely a minute gone, after slick handling in Moseley’s midfield from a lineout outflanked Stortford’s rush defence. Jack Jolly added a good conversion. The visitors bounced back onto the attack, creating room for Josh Stannard out wide but his kick ahead was touched down by the covering fullback. Within 10 minutes, though, fellow winger, Chris Smith touched down a well-judged kick ahead by Dan Powell, after the fullback had cut a decisive line in midfield. Mike Cooke added a good conversion to level the scores. Moseley generally enjoyed a slight edge in subsequent exchanges, but Stortford looked threatening on the occasional counterattack. It was the home side, though, that broke the deadlock with 24 minutes gone, with Freddie Painter creating room for Smith to run clear and dummy his way past his opposite number for his second try - followed by an excellent conversion by Jolly. The visitors were by no means done and were unlucky to be penalised for “ripping an opponent’s headguard off”, as a maul drove remorselessly towards the home try line. Worse was to come for Stortford, though, with Smith being yellow-carded on 36 minutes for killing the ball, after hauling his namesake down just short of the try line. Despite the resultant 5m Moseley lineout and the one-man deficit, Stortford managed to resist further concerted pressure and saw the first half out 7 points behind.
The visitors started the second period like a train, but a certain try went begging, when Tom Mills set Stannard clear and the winger, having beaten the first-up tackle was heading for the try line from inside his own half, when his hamstring went. He did manage to offload, but an immediate second golden chance was lost with the second pass being knocked on. This, unfortunately set something of a pattern for the whole half, with Stortford dominating both possession and territory for most of the period, but unable to make the crucial breakthrough. It was very much against the run of play, therefore, when the home side broke out of defence, won a penalty and, once again clinical handling from the lineout saw Smith in for his hat trick try. Despite still losing the territorial battle, Moseley’s big pack came increasingly into its own, dominating the scrums and countering numerous 5m lineouts, resulting from a slew of defensive penalties, which, rather belatedly brought a yellow card for a Moseley forward after 30 minutes. Within 2 minutes Stortford finally made the breakthrough, with Smith adding to his eventful day with his second try out wide, after the ball was moved quickly from yet another attacking lineout and Will Rogers punched a hole in midfield. Cooke again added the extras. Stortford showed ambition, trying to run the ball in their own 22 from the restart, but a long pass was smartly intercepted, leading to a period of Moseley pressure. It looked as if Stortford had weathered the storm, as they broke out to give Smith (again!) room on the wing, but Moseley recovered to such good effect that they put pressure on the ruck, were able to rip the ball free and one pass was enough to see centre Tom Taylor running at the line. A desperate cover-tackle was high, as the player plunged for the line and a penalty try was awarded, at once rewarding Moseley with a bonus point and depriving Stortford of theirs – a bitter final pill for the latter to swallow. The scoreline certainly did not reflect the overall balance of the game, but shows the difference which more clinical finishing can make.