Stortford were on the back foot from the word go, failing to post a sweeper behind the pod intended to receive the opening drop-out and conceding an attacking lineout. Compounding this error with a penalty, the home side found itself 7 points behind after 3 minutes, when prop, Dan Rylance broke off the side of an attacking maul to plunge over in the corner. Points machine, Warren Seals stepped up to add the extras from the touchline. Stortford swept back onto the attack and levelled the scores 7 minutes later, when Harrison Langworthy drove over close to the posts after two 5 metre lineouts and Tom Mills converted. This was not, however, before two golden chances to have scored tries had been spurned, either of which could have rocked the opposition back on their heels. As it was, Park had much the better of the rest of the first half, being much more patient and making far fewer errors. Stortford's defence was generally solid, if not destructive but it was caught short after 34 minutes, when cover close to a second phase ruck, following a lineout just outside the home 22, was not tight enough, This allowed the opposition scrumhalf to run at a gap and feed centre, Matt Law, who rounded the man forced to step inside to take the halfback and dived over the line. There was some doubt in Stortford minds as to whether he managed to ground the ball properly, but the try was awarded and Seals added the extras to take his side into the break deservedly 7 points up.

Stortford could have gone 3 points further behind almost straight from the restart, but Seals' attempted penalty fell a couple of feet short. Instead, it was the home side that were next on the scoreboard, evening things up with a try to Chris Bolton after 50 minutes, with Mills again adding the conversion. The score came from some slick handling, which stretched the Park defence and allowed the scrumhalf to loop round in midfield and go over close to the posts. The deadlock was soon broken, though, when Seals converted a penalty shot on 55 minutes, after more good phase play by the visitors, with number 7, Lewis Bradley prominent, as he was throughout the game. Although relatively small in stature, he constantly wrong-footed defenders, often breaking tackles, which Stortford's more direct, less subtle running signally failed to do. Seals added the coup de grace with a try 9 minutes later, after Stortford had been turned over (by no means for the first time) on the opposition's 22. A speedier winger would have run in the try himself, but he was overhauled and it took quick hands from the breakdown for the flyhalf to go over by the opposite touchline. Stortford battled to the end and finished very much on the front foot. Two attacking lineout losses helped Park keep their line intact until the final minute but, pressure was maintained, forcing a number of penalties close to the visitors' line, which resulted in a yellow card for their number 6 with 2 minutes left. At this late stage, after a couple of further 5m lineouts were won, a quickly tapped penalty by Tristan Smith from the second of two offences allowed the prop to crash over for a consolation try, which secured a losing bonus point.

Special thanks today go to Matchday Sponsors, Mortgage and Money Management. lead sponsors of our important Mitres squad and to long-term Club supporters, Hilton Group, who sponsored the Man of the Match award, which went to Austin Pope for his never-say-die attitude in a losing cause.