Shelford Dev Squad 20 Bishops Stortford 27 

This was a game we should have won and gifted the win to our opponents through lapses of defensive concentration.

As the loudspeaker kept going from the first team match announcing yet another try we were struggling to take control of our game and get a lead that we deserved. Our forwards dominated the loose play but defensively our back line was not at the races which allowed them to score three of their four tries through our own errors. The game started well with both sides competing for a foothold in the game and an early exchange of penalties was a fair result. However, the phases we put together and the control of the game which gained us two scores through Rory and Chalky were cancelled out by two cheap tries gifted to them to level the score at half time at 15 – 15. 

The second half needed to start how we left off and continue the pressure we had been developing but again a cheap try was gifted to them very early on which passed the advantage back to Stortford but whilst we dominated possession and territory we failed to capitalise on points. A well worked lineout on our five metre allowed them to cross the whitewash again and open up a twelve point lead. There was still time and although we scored again through Wallace we could not quite get over again despite constant possession and attacking chances. 

With the Christmas break upon us we have quite a break now to sit back and analyse the way we have dropped points recently and come away knowing that we shouldn’t have done. There are not going to be easy games in the league we are in and must take chances when they are there and be miserly in the opportunities we offer to our opposition, There is still a large part of the season left and we need to start the next half how we started the first. In the meantime though Christmas is here, time for a nice break and come back fresh, eager and show the desire to win and win well that is lacking at the moment.