Goble off the mark for OEs

By JON EDWARDS

Old Elthamia’s…17 Bishop’s Sto …17

A TRY ten minutes from time by winger Alex Goble, his first for the club, secured Old Elthamians a share of the spoils at College Meadow.

If a draw was a fair reflection on the balance of play, both sides will feel they did enough to win.

Impressive Stortford were never behind in this defence-dominated encounter, while Elthamians pressed strongly for the match-winning score in the final quarter.

The visitors controlled the opening half hour and, with the outstanding Sam Winter pulling the strings in midfield, they opened up a 10-0 lead thanks to a well-worked try from Mike Ayrton, Brad Burr adding a conversion and a penalty.

Elthamians clawed their way back into the game, Tom Concu crashing over from close range on 30 minutes, White adding the conversion and a penalty to level at half-time.

It was Stortford who started the brighter of the two sides after the interval, and they were rewarded when hooker Harrison King crashed over from a lineout.

However, OEs fought back strongly with their forwards driving deep into the visitors 22, creating space for Goble to cross in the corner after a lovely off-load by Louis Brown.

In a frenetic final five minutes, the home side camped in the Stortford 22 through multiple phases, but could find no way through the wall of red shirts.

TEAMS

OLD ELTHAMIANS: Brown Louis, Goble, Koteczky, Eastwell, Perkins, White, Claxton, Concu, Morris, Holenstein, Flashman, Batt, Saunders, Barton, Kovacic Replacements: Brown Lewis, Self, Ledger, Morgan, Hotston BISHOP’S STOR: Hankin, Duff, Winter, Ayrton J, Ayrton M, Burr, Banks T, Roberts, King, Harrison-Price, Thacker, Lewis, Apperley, Ball, Kingham Replacements: Dan, McCrone, Banks R, Stannard, Spivey REFEREE: Joe James ATTENDANCE: 201 Star man Sam Winter – Bishop’s Stortford