Dings Crusaders 14 Bishop's Stortford 1st XV 33

Stortford started the game strongly and dominated both possession and territory for the first quarter of an hour. It took to the end of this period, however, for the visitors to show any tangible results, when flyhalf, Marcus Cattell kicked his third attempt at goal after Dings had been penalised for two cynical late tackles after threatening Stortford kicks and a couple of offside decisions. It took barely a minute, though, for the home side to level the scores, when Stortford failed to gather the drop out and quickly conceded a penalty under strong Dings pressure. The 3 points were duly taken by flyhalf, Woodrow. Stortford continued to have an edge in most aspects of the game, but it took a bad handling error by Dings, trying to run the ball out of their own 22 to give winger, Ross Bird a golden chance to run in the spilled ball for a try close to the posts, which Cattell managed to convert for a 3-10 lead. The gap was closed by 3 points shortly before halftime with another penalty to Woodrow after Stortford – not for the first time this season – mistakenly took a tapped free kick in their own 22. This time, a speculative long pass into midfield was knocked on and within a phase or two of the resultant scrum, they were penalised for failing to release at a tackle. There was time enough left for another kickable penalty to fly narrowly wide of the Dings posts, but the halftime whistle went with the score still at 6-10.

Within 3 minutes of the restart, the gap was reduced to 1 point by a further Woodrow penalty, after Stortford were guilty of straying offside in midfield. Stortford came back fighting and broke out of defence with some tremendous interplay involving both forwards and backs saw centre, Sam Winter bursting into the home 22. Strong Dings defence kept their line intact, but continued pressure by the visitors forced a penalty for offside, which Cattell duly converted to restore the 4 point lead. It did not take long, though, before Stortford finally broke down the stubborn home defence. Once again, great interplay between forwards and backs set up the position, but forwards, Rory Young and Mark McCraith were particularly prominent before second row, Liam Caulfield crashed over for the try off a clever short pass from scrumhalf, Arran Mahoney after 11 minutes. Cattell’s conversion attempt again flew narrowly wide. Matt Tomlinson came on to replace Caulfield almost immediately and 9 minutes later Scott Romaine came on for injured prop, Sean Edwards, but the visitors continued to enjoy much the better of the game. The resultant pressure eventually led to a yellow card for Dings’ outside centre for a blatant offside at a ruck in their own 22. Stortford kicked for touch and, from the resultant 5 metre lineout set up a driving maul, off which Tomlinson broke quickly to dive over for a try after 25 minutes to take the scoreline to 9 -23. The gap was soon narrowed by five points, however, when the home side took full advantage of a careless offside penalty on halfway to kick for touch close to the Stortford line and then to exploit a failed attempt by Stortford to challenge for the ball at the lineout, when one of their alert forwards dived over the line through the visitors’ scattered line. The conversion was missed and when, after 33 minutes, Dings’ inside centre was also yellow-carded for a blatant breakdown defence close to their own line, the home side’s challenge was, effectively ended. Cattell kicked the resultant penalty to stretch Stortford’s lead to 12 points. The home side continued to defend bravely but were punished severely for more lax play in trying to run out of their own 22, as time was running out, when winger Joe Clarke, seized on the loose ball to fly-hack it ahead and beat the covering defender to touch down for an important, bonus-point try. Cattell converted to take the final score to 14-33.

Another tremendous performance,with excellent teamwork built on great team spirit from a matchday squad featuring 13 products of Stortford's Mini and Youth Sections and completed by 7 kindred spirits.