Stafford welcomed Matlock to the County Ground for round three of the Intermediate Cup. The home side had flew through to round three with a bye in the first round and an automatic win when Market Bosworth withdrew in round two. In contrast the visitors took a one point victory over Leek in round one and a more comprehensive win over Vipers in round two. With Stafford sitting fifth in their league and Matlock seventh in theirs, the encounter promised to be a close run match.

The first quarter of the game was a very evenly matched bruising encounter as the sides sized each other up. The visitors had travelled with a very large front eight who found themselves greeted by an equally ferocious Stafford pack. The efforts of both sets of backs were inhibited by the conditions with spilled balls and slips thwarting a running game. A scything run by Quade Boal opened up the first opportunity releasing Dave Wareham to muscle his way down the wing running through a couple of defenders. This put Stafford within sight of the Matlock line and a strong defence by the visitors was disrupted when a yellow card reduced them to fourteen on the pitch. Stafford took full advantage and a series of ferocious forays stretched the fighting defenders enough for Louis Dewsbury to find his way across the line for an unconverted try. With fifteen back on the pitch Matlock finished the half strongly, but they couldn’t find their way past a very solid Stafford defence. Stafford went into half time leading by 5 – 0, but with the game very much in the balance.

The second half opened with Dave Wareham crashing into a Matlock player with a crunching tackle to secure the ball from the restart. Stafford pushed hard but Matlock wrestled back possession to apply a sustained period of pressure. The home side absorbed everything thrown at them and thwarted the opportunity for any points on offer. When Stafford were reduced to fourteen via a yellow card the visitors might have sensed their chance, but the advantage was squandered when Matlock were also reduced to fourteen players a few minutes later. The half continued to swing backwards and forwards between the teams with neither side able to grasp a significant advantage. Both sides continued to create half chances but as time marched on the referees whistle signalled the end of what had been a very physical encounter for both sides in difficult conditions.