STAFFORD 1ST XV vs EDWARDIANS 1ST XV. 16TH DECEMBER 2017. LEAGUE MATCH.

Stafford 22 – 13 Edwardians

Stafford welcomed Edwardians to the County Ground for the last league game of 2017. The visitors travelled with a respectable five wins out of nine and looking to improve on their seventh-place league position. Stafford had their attention focused on continuing their rich vein of good form and chasing down the top two teams in the league.

The conditions were difficult for both teams and a tight first period saw the referee heavily involved dealing with a number of accidental infringements and clumsy challenges, which left the sides sucking in scarce oxygen. Edwardians had the chance to put points on the board with a penalty kick but it flew wide of the posts. The referee continued to be busy, a yellow card reducing Stafford to fourteen with the subsequent penalty kick giving the visitors the lead. The home side responded with a relentless series of phases, tearing through the opposition for a determined Gaz O’Connor to crash across the line for a try. Edwardians afternoon was disrupted when they were forced into a substitution due to a player taking head contact followed by the game being minorly delayed whilst the referee instructed a player to remove his leggings. As the game restarted a Tom Windibank rampage brushed off the defence to come within touching distance of the line, but slippery conditions saw the player crashing to the floor just short. With Stafford back up to a full XV, Edwardians were under constant pressure and a Stelian-Christian Ureche penalty stretched the lead. The visitors couldn’t find any respite forced into a constant defence deep in their own half and the Stafford juggernaut kept knocking until Toran Spelman crossed the line for the second try of the afternoon, converted by Stelian-Christian Ureche. Edwardians settled to build some good phases of attacking play but tenacious harassment by Ben Pryce stole the ball to release Oli Greensill on a scything run which left defenders strewn over the pitch. A series of surges saw the ball finding its way to Oscar Saunders who crossed for the last try of the half converted by Stelian-Christian Ureche. Stafford went into half time leading 22 – 3 and very much in control of the match.

A shower of hail came lashing down to greet the opening part of the second half and the darkening skies heralded what was going to be a difficult second half for the home side. With the conditions heading back towards being difficult the referee found himself back in demand. Two Edwardians penalties could have bought the visitors back into the game, but only one meandered its way through the posts. In a frantic ten-minute period, a red card followed by two yellows left a bewildered Stafford with a scant twelve players on the pitch. Edwardians looked to take advantage of their three-player bonus but a brutal defence forced them to fight for every muddy inch of ground and their only reward came through a single converted try before Stafford were restored back to a full fourteen. As both sides tired Stafford spent the final quarter camped in the opposition half, the County Town side crossed the line on several occasions but the referees whistle denied any further points. As the skies continued to darken the game dwindled to a natural close and a hard earned Christmas break.