STAFFORD 1st XV vs OLD YARDLEIANS 1st XV. 26th September 2015.

Stafford 19 – 27 Old Yardleians

Stafford welcomed Old Yardleians to the county ground, for the second home league game of the season. The visitors had a rocky start to the season but the last match saw a convincing win against Shrewsbury, so they were coming into Staffordshire carrying the momentum and looking for more points.

Stafford struggled hard to settle in the first twenty minutes of the game. Minor handling errors and broken tackles allowed Yardleians to take two tries, opening up a comfortable lead for the visitors. A Stafford yellow card compounded the home side woes, but this was quickly balanced by a yellow card for the visitors. This presented one of the crossroads in the game and the next twenty minutes saw Stafford transformed into the dominant side. Searing runs by Dave Freeman and Mitch Averis highlighted the space available and vulnerability of the defending, disrupting a previously composed team. A strong scrum by Stafford provided the platform for Quade Boal to weave his way past at least three defenders scoring the try between the posts. This was quickly followed by a bludgeoning Carl Williams foray which left a swathe of bodies in its path. With the gap forced open the Stafford backs were flying, stepping around the defence, Stu Lewis the final recipient to cross the line in the corner for a second Stafford try, Stu Lewis also taking the conversion. Stafford went into half time trailing by 12 – 14, but looking the better team.

A marauding Carl Williams run opened the second half, the bulldozer temporarily halting the game whilst the opposition received treatment. Stafford then became unsettled and the errors started to creep back in. Two Yardleians penalties stretched the visitors lead and the momentum swung. A Stafford yellow card reduced them to fourteen, but this was again quickly followed by Yardleians getting their second yellow to balance out the players on the pitch. The home side remained unsettled and a clinical move by the visitors took their third try of the afternoon and a commanding lead. Stafford wouldn’t lie down and lifted the tempo to dominant the last twenty minutes. It took the home side fifteen minutes to break down a relentless defence, but the Stafford forwards eventually snarled and bludgeoned their way across the line with JP Hurley at the bottom of the pile for the third Stafford try of the afternoon, Matt Walklate drop kicking the conversion as time ticked away. A third yellow card for the visitors spurred the home side on for the last three minutes. Agonisingly a valiant Stafford final flourish couldn’t get any further points and the clock closed what had been an excellent finish to the game.