The full-time whistle called in a feeling of disappointment for both teams in the National League 2 South match between Redingensians Rams and Bishop’s Stortford. The brunt of this chagrin was felt by Rams, who pin a loss to their league table following an agonising 24-25 home defeat.

A pre-game chat with club chairman Gary Reynolds outlined Ram’s considerable opposition: a lethal scrummaging side with a penchant for set pieces. He stated that despite the two teams’ similarities as ‘community-driven clubs’, Rams would have to ‘be at our very best to pull out a win’ against the Hertfordshire visitors.

Bishop’s Stortford certainly seemed like the favourites throughout the first half. Keeping a steadfast hold on possession, they ensured that the majority of play occurred in Rams’ direction. A scrappy first 15 minutes made life difficult for Rams’ defence and saw the home side narrowly escape concession through the protective prowess of Bryant, Hoy and the ruck-eating Ben Henderson.

Despite this, Rams suffered to half an hour of relentless attack. Times with the ball being held by a man in a blue shirt were few and far between and instead Bishop’s Stortford had ample opportunities to mercilessly bully the home try line. A contentious offside ruling provided the visitors with a penalty kick completed by Tom Banks.
Bishop’s Stortford eventually found their opening on the right-hand wing. Two unconverted tries by Ryan Hutler made frustrating viewing for the vocal Redingensian crowd.

Rams won some consolation just before the half-time whistle. A fantastic run by Tom Vooght provided the home side with their first glimpse of the opposing try line. Hoy won his lineout and set up Henderson for his try. Atkins picked up the extras for a 7-13 interval score line.

Fans who had travelled down with Bishop’s Stortford were left wondering at their slim lead. ‘We held around 70% of possession’, one stated, ‘we’ve had a lot of good opportunities and the 6 point difference doesn’t really reflect how well we’ve been playing’.

It was a rejuvenation for Rams in the second half. Far more assertive in their attack, the home side began to put their first real pressure on their challengers. Sanders and Amor had early chances on the Bishop’s Stortford try line, with one such opportunity held up by visitors.

Robbie Stapley’s post-scrum set up provided Greg Illingworth with a try and, after Atkins delivered on the conversion, a few fleeting moments with a point lead over Bishop’s Stortford. This only lasted for a few minutes, as Hutler returned the favour with his hat-trick try for the away side.

A yellow card for Bishop’s Stortford captain Mark McCraith opened the opportunity for Rossiter to score a final try for Rams in clubhouse corner. Atkins won the conversion and followed this with a successful penalty in the closing moments of the game. A comeback from the unsteady first half had put Rams ahead at 24-20 with only a few minutes left on the clock.

Unfortunately, this is a story that ends in tragedy for Rams. An overlap in the final play of the game gave Nick Hankin an opening and Bishop’s Stortford an exhilarating last-minute victory. The final score of 24-25 made uneasy viewing for a team who had so narrowly missed out on the win.

Next week the team make the journey down to West Sussex to face off against Worthing Raiders, who conceded 9 tries in their meeting with Chinnor this week.

Report by Matt McCrory
Photo by Tim Pitfield

Redingensians Rams:
15 - Guttridge
14 - Rossiter
13 - Bryant
12 - Sanders
11 - Corrigan
10 - Atkins
9 - Illingworth
1 - Weller
2 - Henderson
3 - McDonnell-Roberts
4 - Hoy
5 - Thompson
6 - Amor
7 - Vooght
8 - Stapley (c)

Replacements:
16 - Crame
17 - Steadman
18 - Taylor
19 - Barnes
20 - Lloyd