Stags Start With A Win

Midlands 3 East (South)

Huntingdon Stags 34 Leicester Forest 14

STAGS welcomed back coach Cameron Glanvill with a win in their opening game of the season at Hinchingbrooke.

Stags' initial pressure was contained by the visitors, who responded with the game's opening try that they converted.

Good positional kicking by Simon Leader and excellent scrummaging saw Charlie Cook cross the line to score Stags' first points.

Elliott Baldwin missed a kick to put points on the board but five minutes late he atoned by kicking another three points for the Stags.

Leader took a hit and was replaced by Dale Abblitt. However, despite the loss of their captain, Stags kept on the pressure and, following a turnover in the scrum, Chris Pape crossed the line to give Stags their second try, duly converted by Baldwin.

Minutes later the score increased again as centres Cook and Neil Welsh combined, allowing the latter to cross the line for Stags' third try just before the break.

Forest were the first to put points on the board in the second half with a converted try before Stags' Robbie Attewell and a Forest player were sin-binned for an altercation.

Within five minutes, Doug Bentley scored Stags' fourth try, with Baldwin again kicking the extra points.

The match was put out of Leicester's grasp when Cook roasted the Forest defence, crossing the line to score his second try of the afternoon, with Baldwin once again converting to give the extra two points.

Stags' next match is on September 20 at Old Northamptonians.

Stags U17s visited Peterborough for a pre-season friendly and took a well-deserved draw from the match. The 12-12 scoreline was the result of an entertaining encounter that saw Alex Dyson cross for two tries, with one being converted by Tom Morgan.