Stafford A welcomed Stoke 2nd XV to the County Ground for the latest instalment in the league calendar. The home side team fielded the usual mixture of experience and youth which promised a running game of rugby. With the rain slowly being dried out by the watery sunshine, Blackberry Lane was the normal welcoming environment for the encounter.

The initial parts of the match were relatively even as both teams felt each other out and looked to exploit any opening. As the 20-minute mark approached it was Stafford who were suddenly on the front foot. Feeding off the momentum, Stoke were forced backwards in a retreating defence. Both sides were putting in some good hits, but despite the strong resistance, Alfie O’Brien muscled his way through to take the first try of the afternoon. The game then settled back into a minor stalemate as both teams created opportunities which weren’t converted into points. Entering the last five minutes of the half, it was subtle Stafford passing which caused havoc. The visitors couldn’t respond to the attack and Morgan Cassells raced over the line for a try. A defiant Stoke responded strongly and built some excellent phases of their own which eventually ended with the first visiting try of the afternoon. Stafford went into half time with a slight 10 – 5 lead but with Stoke finishing the period the brightest.

Stoke continued to play all of the rugby from the opening whistle of the second half. Stafford put up a good defence but couldn’t prevent the visitors from taking their second try of the afternoon to drag the scores back together. The Blackberry Lane XV settled back into the encounter and slowly snatched away all of the momentum from the visiting XV. With a long period of possession, Stafford were raining in threats from all parts of the pitch. It eventually took a brutal charge from Harvey Baxter to break through for a try, converted by Owen Smith. The County Town team continued to tussle for the advantage and several opportunities went begging. The clock meandered its way into the final ten minutes and bodies started to tire. With slightly more space available the forays became more threatening. A couple of broken tackles gifted Tom Barker the room to take the bonus point try, converted by Owen Smith. With the game effectively over the players continued to compete, waiting for the sound of the referee’s final whistle. However, as the clock entered the red, the ball found itself being shipped through Stafford hands. The final pass was to Jerry Qasenivalu who danced around some flailing bodies to take the final try of the game, converted by Owen Smith. As the ball sailed through the posts, the referee turned and several shrill blasts signalled the end of the encounter.

Next A XV Match: Saturday 29th November vs Bloxwich XV, Away. K.O. 14:15.