After OAs had failed last week to return the favour of our win at the beginning of the month over Cambridge, the outcome of today's big match was even more crucial to Stortford and the large home crowd were not disappointed with the last-minute outcome!

This was a close game in more senses than one - this tightly fought game having been the first to be sponsored by City investment firm, Close Brothers. The first half was a tense affair, with both sides readily settling for penalty goals, whenever they got in range. Stortford took the early initiative with the first two goals from George Cullen after 6 and 17 minutes resulting from pressure on OAs' territory. The visitors, though responded quickly and their fullback, Matt Gallagher narrowed the lead to 3 points after 21 minutes from their own penalty in front of the posts. Stortford then proceeded to concede a couple of softish penalties, as they tried to play too much rugby in their own territory and the visitors leveled the scores on 28 minutes after a period of pressure produced a further penalty, resulting also in a stern team warning. This seemed only to fire Stortford up and they surged onto the attack. For once a potential 3 points were declined in favour of a kick for touch and this led to a period of concerted pressure on the visitors' line, with tries from successive driving mauls being prevented only by penalty offences which, rather surprisingly did not even produce a team warning, let alone the yellow card, which might well have been considered. Unfortunately from the Stortford point of view the attack was ended, when strong tackling forced a knock-on and a solid scrum and good clearance ended the half with scores level.

OAs started the second period on the front foot and despite strong Stortford defence countering early threats, a penalty was forced under the posts, when Sam Winter was penalised, though he clearly felt that he had legitimately played the ball, having gone through the middle of a ruck. Gallagher duly converted to take his side into a 3 point lead after 5 minutes. The visitors enjoyed the better of play in the next 20 minutes, calling for some more stout defending from Stortford, but successive clean breaks by Johnny Neville and Nick Hankin off well-timed runs took play into the OAs' 22, where quick hands stretched the defence to create room out wide on the left Mike Gallagher. The winger took full advantage, stepping inside against the grain of the cover defence to run in for a try under the posts after 24 minutes, which Cullen duly converted, taking Stortford into a 4 point lead. The initiative seemed clearly to have moved to the home side at this stage, as they surged once again onto the attack. A more experienced side might well have looked to try and close the game down at this stage,through some controlled possession rugby but Stortford continued to try and play an expansive game. They were made to pay for this aggressive approach, though on 72 minutes, when an ambitious long pass, knocked on on the visitors' 22 was seized on by OAs, who swept the length of the field with player coach, James Shanahan instrumental in setting flanker, Henry Bate free to take advantage of some uncharacteristically flimsy Stortford tackling to crash over for a try under the posts. The routine conversion by Gallagher put his side into a 3 point lead. Stortford now showed great composure in sweeping back onto the attack, without any obvious signs of panic, which the sudden switch in fortunes might well have triggered in a lesser group. Boosted by a clear edge now gained in the scrums, the home team, shouted on by a big crowd were able to attack with renewed confidence and a scrum taken against the head after a knock-on proved to be crucial. This provided the platform for another determined drive and, when the resultant driving maul from a penalty kick to touch was halted illegally, OAs' flanker Oliver Cooper-Miller was yellow-carded. It looked, nevertheless, after a few more phases of Stortford attack were halted by another knock-on, forced by some more typically strong OAs tackling, as if the chance for another dramatic twist might have been lost. It was no surprise, though that the visitors' scrum was once again put under severe pressure and, even though the ball was not taken cleanly by Stortford, the ball found its way into their hands and a quick transfer was enough to allow an instant take and give by Pier Dotta - just on the filed as a replacement for injured, Mike Gallagher - to put Dom Morris clear down the wing to touch down out wide with barely a minute left to play. Cullen's excellent conversion from the touchline not only widened the points margin to 4 but saw out the remaining seconds and the final whistle went immediately to the huge relief of the home team and their army of supporters.

The Man of the Match award, sponsored this week by Sam Prior's company, BIT Solutions went to Richard Gill for his non-stop performance, marked by a great defensive contribution.

With a 10 point gap in the league to OAs, now in second place, Stortford clearly need one or both of the leaders to slip up, if we are to challenge again for promotion but, with a potential 50 points still available, the die is far from cast. As Stortford have themselves demonstrated in recent weeks, both of them are eminently beatable and we can help increase the pressure on them, if we can maintain our winning run - albeit with some tough games of our own to come.

Good news also for the Club as a whole, with all four teams playing today producing wins - including a 21st win in a row for the Blues! It is strength in depth like this, as well as our fantastic Mini and Youth Sections, on which the Firsts' successes are largely built, so congratulations to all players, coaches and managers concerned!