An error-laden first period, an outstanding third quarter, before a desperate rearguard in the final minutes, all topped off with a somewhat bizarre finale.
Ultimately though, not even the second yellow card awarded to Ed Scragg for the second-row prematurely entering the field of play to celebrate could dampen the explosion of joy at securing this five-point away win which will see Blackheath spend the three-week Christmas break in third position in National League One.
‘It was a very good game for the neutral with the lead changing hands four times,’ said Club head coach Tom Stradwick.
‘We knew Bishop’s Stortford would pose issues in terms of their counter-attacking ability, and after a good start where we should have scored more tries, we let them back in.’
‘Huge credit to the boys for the fight and grit they showed at the start of the second period to dominate that period, before we lost two key players to yellow cards and with it the momentum going into the closing stages.’
‘It could have gone either way, but I’m very pleased we managed to close the game out.’
On a bright winter’s afternoon at Silver Leys, Blackheath had the best of the opening, culminating in Jordan Burns crossing the try-line on 15 minutes, after the visitors worked inside off lineout ball.
Five wins on the spin, however, had turned Stortford from league strugglers into the in-form team, and with characteristic flair the hosts immediately launched a fine handling move down the right flank, before centre Tom Hitchcock cut a diagonal line to score, scrum-half Chris Bolton’s conversion levelling the scores.
As the errors began to pile up, Stortford took full advantage, driving hooker Isaac Bell across from close-range, before Bolton added three-points on half-time for a 15-7 interval lead.
Nevertheless, Will Jameson was having an exceptional game and the Club blind-side’s huge hit to win a penalty straight from the re-start swung the momentum towards the visitors.
Harding was driven across from the resultant lineout to reduce the arrears, and as Ben Charnock charged forward from a ruck, the Club number-eight produced a brilliant off-load, before Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas sent Scragg across in the corner for a two-point lead.
Again, Stortford found pace and width for full-back Jake Morris to quickly reply, but the Hertfordshire side, guilty of a number of high challenges throughout, were now penalised for a no-arms tackle, and Harding found an opening to storm over from the lineout ball for the hooker’s 26th try of the campaign.
Another high tackle, and as Archie Smeaton stayed on his feet while carrying half the Stort side with him, Archie Holland went under the uprights on 63 minutes, Matt Dalrymple’s conversion giving Blackheath a nine-point cushion.
Nevertheless, Bishop’s Stortford are a side who never lie down and have a history of finding a late surge to overturn a deficit as they so nearly did to good effect at Well Hall in September.
In a niggly game, Harding was yellow-carded for intervening in a scuffle, and Blackheath’s depleted defence, particularly their maul, was tested to the limit in the closing stages.
The breach was made with three minutes remaining, as Morris glided over out wide for a converted try, but despite also losing Scragg for an illegal challenge, Blackheath held on.
National League Rugby now enters its Christmas break, with Blackheath’s next league game on Saturday 10th January, when they host Leicester Lions at the Utilita Well Hall, kick off at 3.00 pm.
Before that, however, a Club U23 side will take on Old Colfeians U23 at the Utilita on the evening of Tuesday 30th December in the Anthony Fitzgerald memorial match in support of Cardiac Risk for the Young (CRY). Entry is free, but a £5 donation is welcome.
Bishop’s Stortford
Tries: Hitchcock 17, Bell 36, Morris 48, 77
Conv: Bolton 17, Davies 77
Pen: Bolton 40
Blackheath
Tries: Burns 14, Harding 41, 52, Scragg 43, Holland 62
Conv: Dalrymple 14, 62
Attendance: 746
| 15 | . | Tom Emery |
| 14 | . | Jake Hennessey |
| 13 | . | Luke Pollock |
| 12 | . | Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas |
| 11 | . | Tom Hughes |
| 10 | . | Matt Dalrymple |
| 9 | . | Jordan Burns |
| 1 | . | James Cornish |
| 2 | . | Billy Harding (Capt) |
| 3 | . | Archie Holland |
| 4 | . | Archie Smeaton |
| 5 | . | Ed Scragg |
| 6 | . | Will Jameson |
| 7 | . | Noah Sloot |
| 8 | . | Ben Charnock |
| 16 | . | Archie Bourne |
| 17 | . | Rory Marsh |
| 18 | . | Fin O’Sullivan |
| 19 | . | Kyle McGhie |
| 20 | . | Raff Hollister |
Photo: Nick King
Graham Cox
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