Tring arrived at a cold and windy Sutton & Epsom on Saturday and it was evident that the weather would play a key part during the game. The visitors made changes after their win against Brighton, notably the return of Eddie Harrison in the second row after a shoulder injury and a debut from the bench for Max Graham.

The early stages were cagey, with the two teams trading penalties. S&E were able to use the considerable wind behind them to pin Tring deep within their own half, making it difficult for them to clear their lines. However, some excellent work at the set piece by the Tring forwards continued to repel S&E and the scores stayed level. After some broken play in the midfield and an excellent turn over by Charlie Goss-Lambourne, Alex Harrison found winger Rory Hardman with a well-judged kick. Tring were quick to move the ball wide and after Will Mitchell’s offload, it was Goss-Lambourne finishing a wonderful try. Ben Hogan converting successfully. Tring’s scrum was dominant all day and after another outstanding push, A. Harrison broke the S&E line, linking with Mitchell to put Hardman into the corner. S&E responded with two penalty kicks before half time, 15-9.

Starting the second half with the wind on their side, Tring opened with two successful kicks from Hogan, after some excellent breakdown work by Harry McCartney. The visitors would pile more pressure on S&E, but penalties in the opposition 22m would ultimately halt any further additions to the scoreboard. Much of the second half could be characterised by the brilliant work of the forward pack, notably Ian Jarman and captain Olley O’Gorman, whose ball carrying and defence proved hard for S&E to manage. With S&E struggling to get out of their half, a knock on out wide led to winger Ted Stanford collecting and crossing the line for Tring’s third try. The hosts would eventually cross the line with three minutes left, however it would turn out to be little more than a consolation, as Tring ran out 31-14 winners.

Tring Scorers:
Tries: C. Goss-Lambourne, R Hardman, T Stanford
Conv: B. Hogan, W. Mitchell
Pens: B. Hogan (4)