Stafford 1st XV returned from the previous weekends break for a testing fixture against Veseyans. The visitors travelled to the County Ground with seven wins under their belts giving them a decent reputation in the league this season.

The game opened with a prolonged hail shower, which soaked through both teams and added to the slippery playing surface. It was Veseyans who built the early dominance and opened the scoring with an unconverted try. Both sets of forwards then proceeded to exchange blows as they struggled to take control of the match. In their first period of sustained possession it was Stafford who found the upper hand through controlled passing and attacking plays. As Veseyans defended, the home side found the space to punt the ball forward and Dave Freeman dived across the line to even the scores. The game settled into a brutal encounter with Stafford loosing John Carr following an awkward fall from a contested ball. Veseyans may have retaken the lead through a penalty before half time, but the ball flew wide of the posts. Stafford went into half time drawing 5 -5 and carrying the scars of a ferocious first half.

The second half continued the vicious assault by both sides as they fought to find some advantage over the opposition. Stafford proved to be the hungrier as they clawed their way up the pitch; Veseyans mounted a stout defence but couldn’t repel the determined visitors. The long arm of Rich Martin stretching across the line to grab the try and his subsequent conversion cementing the lead. A head injury to Matt Cooper saw the Stafford team disrupted and the players being shuffled around to accommodate the enforced changes. A yellow card to Stafford, within the last ten minutes, galvanised Veseyans into a late charge against fourteen men. Not matter how hard the visitors pushed, they couldn’t find their way across the line for an equalising score against a stunning defensive effort.