Bishop's Stortford 1st XV 40 Hull Ionians 22

Stortford started sloppily, allowing the starting dropout to hit the deck and then knocking on in attempting to recover the ball. Despite winning a turnover from the resultant Hull scrum, the home side failed to clear their lines and a couple of penalty offences gifted the visitors a 5 metre lineout. The ball was duly won and a well-organised driving maul produced a try for prop, Dave Laverick after 6 minutes, very well converted by fullback, Max Titchener to establish an early 7 point lead. This was short-lived, though, as the hosts swept straight back onto the attack and, although their own driving maul from a 5 metre lineout was held up, the ball was moved quickly to the opposite wing, where Luis Ball was able to touch down out wide. George Cullen stepped up to produce an even better conversion across the wind to level the scores. Stortford again exerted pressure, but were harshly penalised for failing to release the ball inside the Hull 22, when it appeared that a tackle had not been completed and Hull swept up the field and took a 3 point lead, when Titchener kicked an easy penalty for a high tackle on 17 minutes. Stortford soon countered and were awarded their own penalty in front of goal for a breakdown offence, but they bravely opted to go for touch, rather than take the 3 points. This ambition was quickly rewarded, when, with the first quarter barely over, Mike Ayrton was put into space out wide and was able to round the last defender to touch down half way between the posts and touch to give Cullen a much easier conversion, establishing a 4 point home lead. Although now enjoying much the better of the exchanges, Stortford were unable to add to their tally until Hull prop, Joshua Peace was yellow-carded for the second of three successive high tackles after 32 minutes. The home side took full advantage of the extra man, adding two further converted tries before the break. The first came 4 minutes later and was scored by hard-working second row, James Thacker at the back of a driving maul out wide, requiring Cullen, once more to demonstrate the full extent of his skills off the kicking tee to add the extras. The second, bonus point, try came as the last move of the half, with Chris Smith, who had threatened whenever he received the ball, coming in off his wing to finish off a spell of forward pressure by crashing through a crowd of defenders to touch down under the posts.

When the winger registered his second try within 2 minutes of the restart and Cullen again converted, the writing seemed to be on the wall for the visitors. The score came when a poor defensive kick was run back and quick hands in midfield created space for Smith out wide, with only forwards in front of him and his pace took him clear. Within 3 minutes, though the score had been cancelled out, when Hull took full advantage of further carelessness from the home side at the restart to seize upon the ball and put pressure on the Stortford line. This produced a breakdown penalty and the resultant 5 metre lineout led to a try to powerful centre, Moses Liwaliwa, again expertly converted by Titchener. The balance of the game might well have swung after 55 minutes, when Stortford prop, JP Nel was penalised for a high tackle, which was deemed - rather harshly in the view of many spectators from both sides - by the referee to have warranted a red card. In fact, though, the home side dug deep and continued to enjoy the better of the exchanges. This produced a hat-trick try for Smith 8 minutes later, after a Cullen chip kick and chase and fly-kick by James Ayrton had taken his side to Hull's try line and quick ball from a set scrum again put the winger into space. Cullen's hitherto impeccable goal kicking was finally defeated by the challenge of converting from close to touch into the teeth of the strong cross-wind, though his side were now effectively out of sight. But for some careless finishing passes, Stortford might well have added 2 or 3 further tries but, it was the never-say die visitors who, in fact, registered the final score. Flanker, James Sanderson scrambled over, despite having appeared to have been tackled short, to touch down for an unconverted try, rounding off a spell of pressure from his fellow forwards after 68 minutes.

The Westbury Garden Rooms' Man of the Match award went, not surprisingly, to Chris Smith, whose running in all areas of the field posed a threat throughout the game, crowned with his hat trick of tries.