STORTFORD edged the fierce territorial battle in the early exchanges and after 16 minutes scored the first try through Chris Smith after a Francis Moore break, with Tom Walker adding the conversion.
Nick Hankin rounded off an excellent 15-man move 17 minutes later to touch down with Walker again adding the extras and the fly-half added two penalty goals after 29 and 39 minutes, as the home side cranked up the pressure.
Stortford moved further ahead within a minute of the restart, Moore scoring an excellent try, after Tom Mills ran a long kick back to find Walker in support, the latter converting from the touchline.
The try bonus point followed six minutes later, when James Ayrton touched down a chip kick, who again added the conversion. A Stortford gaffe gifted Lions a try after 52 minutes, scored by James Stubbs and converted by Luke Bouchier.
This lifted the visitors, who dominated possession for much of the rest of the game. Stout Stortford defence held them out for 16 minutes, but the pressure eventually told and Malelili Satala-Navlivou scored an unconverted try to cancel out an interception try run in nine minutes earlier by Hankin.
TEAMS
BISHOP'S STORTFORD: Hankin, Mills, Moore, Ayrton, Smith, Walker, Bolton, Hill, Adejimi, Peck, Kiff, Charter, Langworthy, Jones, Rogers Replacements: Ramzanpour, Rayment, Pope, Lloyd, Morris LEICESTER LIONS: Brock, Patrick, Hamilton, Myall, Satala-Navlivou, Lewis, Stubbs, Williams, Taylor, Dawson, Godefroy, Ward, Irvine, Murdoch, Cairns Replacements: Roberts, Thompson, Koroiyadi, Bouchier, Ogden.
REFEREE: Ben Wood ATTENDANCE: 552
Star man
Will Rogers -Bishop's Stortford
