STAFFORD 1st XV vs CAMP HILL 1st XV. 5th DECEMBER 2015.

Stafford 12 – 24 Camp Hill

Stafford welcomed Camp Hill to the county ground on a windy December afternoon. With both sides suffering losses in the intermediate cup the previous week, it was back to league action and the search for points. The last two seasons had seen both teams winning at home and losing the away fixture. A howling wind and sticky surface threatened to produce a game bereft of finesse.

Both teams started strongly but it was the travelling forwards who found the early advantage. A series of penalties saw Camp Hill scrummage Stafford back towards the line until the referees whistle sounded for the penalty try, the home side grabbed back some kudos when they flew out to charge down the simple conversion. The majority of the play then came from the home side as they ramped up the pressure on the visitors. Some scything attacks completely ripped apart the defence and a flying Sam Bedworth had a direct line for the try. A last ditch defence attempt by a Camp Hill player saw a swinging arm unfortunately decapitate Bedworth and the referee immediately blew for a penalty try, Rich Martin stepped up for the kicking duties and Stafford took the lead. The home side couldn’t hide their disappointment when the referee only produced a yellow for the high tackle but they were penalised with the loss of Sam Bedworth for the rest of the match due to the illegal contact. As Stafford tried to reorganise, the weighty forwards of Camp Hill came into play again as they snatched a try against the run of play. Stafford went into half time trailing 7 – 12, but having played some of the better periods of rugby.

The second half started with Stafford waging a brutal war of attrition against the visitors. After the initial battering, they stretched an increasingly desperate defence, allowing a determined Steve Rowland to find the room to cross the line and even the scores. Camp Hill struck back again, through their forwards, as the well drilled pack took the lead again for the visitors, set pieces rolling them across the line. An aggressive period of play ensued as both sides traded ferocious assaults in an effort to grab the next score. Stafford looked to have breached the defence, but a hidden incident in a pile of players lead to the game being temporarily stopped as an ambulance was needed. Ronnie Hindle needing immediate treatment for a head injury sustained during the rigorous defence from Camp Hill. The game restarted for a subdued Stafford and a subsequent injury to Matt Cooper further unsettled an unfortunate Stafford XV as the scrums became uncontested. The Camp Hill forwards took full advantage of the disruption to rumble over the final try of the game. In a final twist to an unfortunate afternoon the floodlights failed and as the teams battled on in the murk, the referee had seen enough a shrill whistle signalled the end of a frustrating game.