Stafford vets took a Friday journey across to Derbyshire for their opening fixture of the season against Belper. Gathering the team together was difficult but they departed Blackberry Lane with a squad of ten experienced players.

Belper had a large enough team to lend Stafford some players, making it a competitive encounter. The match was very close in the first half with both teams looking to attack at every opportunity.

As the second half developed it became a little more one-sided as Belper’s superior fitness began to show. Eventually the hosts were able to score a few more tries to run out convincing winners. The Stafford team was:

Ben Hodgkins
Ben Pryce
Bob Hobbs
Gav Hogan
John Hodgkins
Jonny Smith
Kev Clarke
Michael Cook
Rhys Williams
Simon MacDonald