The home side was given every opportunity to start on the front foot, with the first 4 penalties going their way in the opening 10 minutes, but Stortford’s aggressive line speed and tackling neutralised any threat. Stortford were much more effective in possession, using two successive penalties of their own to take them to a 5m lineout, from which a powerful driving maul drove Alex Rayment over the line for an opening try. Mike Cooke’s conversion attempt went narrowly wide, though he was successful with an even more difficult kick after 30 minutes, when Will Rogers touched down from another successful 5m lineout drill. In the meantime, frequent penalties and occasional handling errors by both sides had made for a bit of a stop-start game, though Stortford generally enjoyed a clear edge. With 35 minutes gone, Cooke stretched the lead to 15 points with a goal from just inside the Tigers’ half, after one of many tackle penalties awarded. The home side never gave up and countered aggressively, as half-time beckoned and it took a great cover tackle From Austin Pope on the Stortford line to dislodge the ball for a knock-on to prevent a Tigers try.

Stortford started the second period strongly and, after Tom Mills won a well-judged box kick to set up position well inside home territory, Charlie Briers was able to snipe over from the base of a try-line ruck inside the forty second minute. Cooke converted to establish a commanding lead, but momentum was soon lost, when an attacking lineout was lost and was followed by two penalty concessions in quick succession to give the home side a 5m lineout. Stortford’s forwards defended the initial drive well, but an unconverted try was scored by Tigers on 50 minutes, after a couple more phases, with a long, hail-Mary pass bouncing into the left wing’s hands. With the breeze in their favour and playing with a greater sense of urgency, the home side came much more into the game and took full advantage of two more successive penalties to set up another 5m lineout with 60 minutes gone and, once again, were able to crash over for a try a couple of phases later, with the conversion added this time. A breakdown penalty in Stortford’s favour, straight from the restart set up an attacking lineout and, although the resultant driving maul was stopped short of the line, this was at the cost of a yellow card for a home player for side entry and Tristan Smith was able to crash over from the resultant further lineout. Cooke’s conversion attempt bounced out off the far post. That was the end of the scoring, but the visitors had to resist some more concerted pressure, ending up with 14 men, after Oli Moffitt was yellow-carded for team offences inside their 22.