HARBORNE 1st XV vs STAFFORD 1st XV. 9th APRIL 2016.

Harborne 8 – 27 Stafford

The last away game of the season saw Stafford travelling to the second city for a tricky encounter against bottom of the table Harborne. The Birmingham team were coming off the back of their first league win of the season and with home field advantage, the game was always going to be a hard slog. Harborne were hosting the visitors on a pitch remote from their clubhouse and with the recent rain making some parts of the surface boggy, the playing conditions were, at best, slightly slippy.

Stafford started the game strongly and the home side couldn’t restrain a marauding Tom Windibank for crossing the line for the first try of the afternoon. Harborne fought their way back into the match a penalty drawing the scores back together. Stafford continued to have the better of the play but the heavy pack of Harborne started to do a good job of disrupting any continuity. The home side continued to defend strongly but Matty Walklate ripped open the defence with a beautifully weighted kick, which fell into the arms of a flying Dave Freeman to take Staffords second of the afternoon. A subsequent Rich Martin penalty added to the visitors tally and the game looked to be going one way. A dogged Harborne continued to disrupt the opposition game and this combined with the conditions made play scrappy. The home side tenacity was rewarded when their efforts earned them a try to put further points on the board. A Harborne penalty on the stroke of half time could have narrowed the margin to a 2 point game, but it flew just wide. Stafford went into half time leading by 8 – 13 but having difficulty in finding any continuity in difficult conditions.

Stafford came flying into the second half and the initial pressure saw a defending Harborne temporarily reduced to a team of fourteen courtesy of a yellow card. The visitors took full advantage through a Rich Martin try and conversion to re-establish a comfortable lead. Harborne continued to fight hard and dug in to prevent Stafford from significantly threatening the try line. The referees whistle added to the disjointed second half as he sought to keep the game within the boundaries of the rules. As legs tired the home side couldn’t deflect one last Stafford charge with the visiting XV battering their way across the line for Shaun Bickley to take the try with Rich Martin adding the conversion.