Cinderford 18 Bishop's Stortford 1st XV 13

The home side's ability to play to their strengths produced a drab game on a drab day. Despite mighty efforts by Stortford to break through or round the hard-tackling home defence, dominating possession and territory for large parts of the game, they were able to do so only once.

Stortford had started brightly and, despite being demolished at several scrums, managed, by virtue of a number of lineout steals and some good handling on the back of good tactical kicking by Brad Burr to control ball and territory for most of the first quarter. A couple of penalties in quick succession to Cinderford's dominant scrum, though produced an easy opportunity for 3 points, which Gloucester Academy flyhalf, George Barton eagerly took after 24 minutes. Stortford's scrum stabilised a little, as Dec Caulfield replaced Theo Dan at hooker, but at the expense, unfortunately of a couple of lineout errors, leading eventually to a penalty to Cinderford at a maul from a lineout. The kick went to touch and, despite their earlier travails at lineouts, the home pack won clean ball at the front and Stortford's eight had no answer to a well-organised driving maul, producing an unconverted try for hooker, Nathan Taylor. Cinderford's defence once again held out a series of attempts by Stortford to stretch the game, but eventually conceded a penalty some 35 metres out, with first half time up. Burr went for goal and was unlucky to see his well-struck kick cannon back off an upright.

Stortford again started the second period strongly and were rewarded after 10 minutes with a try, when two Cinderford defenders were deemed to have failed to ground a testing high kick from Burr, that dropped almost on their try-line and Charlie Kingham was able to touch the ball down for an unconverted score. The visitors maintained the upper hand - no scrums yet! - and, when Burr converted the second of two kickable penalties, they took the lead for the first time after 16 minutes. The two point advantage became a one point deficit, though, 5 minutes later, when Barton scored from under the posts, after another poor Stortford lineout in their own 22, following an astute kick to touch from the young flyhalf, saw the visitors pinned on their own line. The first scrum of the half came after 26 minutes - a great testimony to Stortford's handling - and the home side started to come more into the game. The decisive moment of the match, though came 8 minutes later and, unfortunately it was a controversial refereeing decision, which, even after the game was subject of much debate, that led directly to the crucial score. As Cinderford's winger followed up a clever grubber kick from one of his centres, under pressure from a brave covering dive by Nick Hankin, he clearly knocked the ball on just short of the Stortford try line, propelling the ball over the line. It is not clear whether the ball flew straight over the dead ball line, or was touched down first by a visiting defender and the distinction could be crucial in that the Laws of Rugby state that advantage cannot be allowed, when the ball goes dead - but moot point about the split second between the knock-on and the ball crossing the dead ball line? The officials decided between them not to allow an advantage, which, given Stortford's creaking scrum would clearly have accrued from a 22 drop-out. Almost inevitably, the resultant 5 metre scrum to Stortford was driven backwards over the line for a converted try, taking the visitors out of losing bonus point range, with 6 minutes to go. Undaunted, Stortford flew back onto the attack, courtesy of a great, clean take by Kingham from the restart kick, but it looked as if the chance of regaining the losing bonus point had been lost, when Burr pulled a penalty shot at goal narrowly wide. Showing great character, though, the side stuck to their task and, courtesy of a missed touch from a Cinderford penalty a couple of minutes later, battled their way 30 metres upfield to win another penalty for failing to release at a tackle. This time Burr made no mistake, as the final touch of the match flew between the uprights.