STAFFORD 1st XV vs HANDSWORTH 1st XV. 2nd APRIL 2016.

Stafford 36 – 13 Handsworth

The first Saturday of April saw Stafford welcoming Handsworth to the County Ground for the penultimate home game of the season. The deluge in the morning had been replaced by strong sunshine to create excellent playing conditions for the afternoons encounter. Handsworth travelled on the back of a good win against Shrewsbury to face a home side that were licking their wounds from a recent bruising encounter in Birmingham.

Stafford smashed their way into the encounter playing with high intensity from the opening whistle. The visitors couldn’t contain the flying home side and a marauding Steve Rowlands brushed past defenders to unselfishly pass to Tom Windibank for the first try of the game, Rich Martin adding the conversion. Handsworth battled their way back into the game and disrupted the Stafford flow to make the game disjointed, a penalty saw the visitors putting points on the board to narrow the scores. A Rich Martin penalty re-established a seven point cushion prior to the home side being reduced to fourteen courtesy of a yellow card. This galvanised Stafford who ramped up the tempo with a swarming attack which split the Handsworth defence, a penalty try, Rich Martin conversion and a yellow card for the visitors finished the half. Stafford went into half time leading by 17 – 3 having had the majority of the play, but finding it difficult to build any continuity against a scrapping Handsworth XV.

With Stafford back up to a full complement they looked to finish off the game and close down a tenacious opponent. A fighting start to the half saw the home side competing deep in the opposition half, Handsworth desperately tried to contain a bruising attack by the forwards but they couldn’t stop a pile of bodies crossing the line the hand of Russ Gauden scoring the try, Rich Martin adding the conversion. The Stafford back line wasn’t to be outdone with a series of moves which stretched the game across the pitch, the elusive feet of Will Hamplett carrying him past defenders to take the fourth try of the afternoon and securing the bonus point. Handsworth continued to fight hard and pounced on a Stafford mistake to score a well taken try. A further period of Stafford dominance ripped open the gaps in a solid defence, a flying Stu Lewis crossing the line for the fifth try of the afternoon, which was again converted by Rich Martin. With Handsworth back down to fourteen through a late yellow card the game looked to be over, but fighting to the very last the visitors had the final word in the game through a well worked try to finish off an entertaining afternoons rugby.