Having played Stortford 4 times this season, and beaten them 4 times, the form book was definitely on Hertford's side. With the Hertford youngsters in the 3s for their final against Cheshunt on the adjoining pitch, the Termites relied on a team literally bursting at the seams with experience. With over half the team more than 40 yrs old, including 3 that had their 1st XV debuts together 28 years ago, there were plenty of words, sage or otherwise, to be said off and on the pitch. Whilst age definitely wearies them, the Hertford heart is still there. The band was back together, but what was going to come out of the instruments.

As well as trying to avenge the earlier defeats, the Stortford team had the added incentive of playing in memory of their former Captain Max Oliver. They certainly started with intensity, attacking from the outset and pressurising the Hertford team, setting a precedent for their style of play throughout the game.

Once the Termites had managed to catch their breath and get some control on the game, they worked their way back up the pitch. A feature of the game was the relentless energy of Giddings at 9, insisting on quick penalties at every opportunity to scamper up the pitch. Fortunately he had the familiar and ever spritely Moss to keep up with him, and to be on hand for the close quarter interplays.

Having fought into the Stortford 22, with the impressive Joe Bell bursting through open-field tackles in ways that his dad never could or would, Hertford recycled the ball 5 metres out, with Mark Bell taking a hard line to burst through some very close-field tackles to score near the posts. A superb father / son combo. Fortunately, we can enjoy another 20+ years of Bell Jr on the pitch, rather than Bell Sr. Lawrence conversion to make it 7-0.

Hertford tried to maintain the ascendency, but couldn’t quite get on top in the scrums, and struggled to disrupt the Stortford lineout that went off the top every time. Without being able to put the squeeze on the Stortford forwards, the Hertford team began to get a bit exposed in the open spaces. Stortford came back into the game to score after consistent phase play to make it 7-7.

Stortford's savvy then enabled an opportunistic score as Hertford were penalised on their 22, and as the supposed interpretation of the ruck was being explained, the Stortford winger used the lull and space to stroll though unopposed, to make it 14-7. In a feisty but fair competition, the game had become very stop / start, and whilst Hertford were giving away too many penalties, the officials could have let the game flow more and chosen not to respond to every possible or perceived transgression.

In any event, Hertford were definitely on the back foot for the remainder of the first half as Stortford stretched their lead to 21-7. Stortford were regularly stretching Hertford to breaking point. This resulted in the Hertford fly half taking a break for not releasing the tackler or not rolling away or just generally being in the way, and then the second row for an over enthusiastic tackle and team offence. With 13 on the pitch, Hertford just about held out until half time.

It was evident that Hertford needed to assert some control in the second half to try and get back into the game. This inevitably meant going back to some basics, including some graft at the scrum and some rolling mauls. The Stortford scrum started going backwards, with one complete obliteration (Ode to JP: we love scrummaging), and the lineout mauls resulted in more panicked penalties from Stortford.

Lawrence's calm head and hands at fly half orchestrated the attacks, linking up with fellow old timer Smithy with some moves that predate the Instagram clips the Gen Zers are used to. This was then giving the svelte Donovan the opportunity to skip through his gorgon like opponents. After several phases, Giddings initiated another of his interchanges, swapping passes before Moss was put through on the 22 to sprint over to score – ignoring the entire team's instruction that he go under the posts. Not to fear, Mr Lawrence's lefty got it over. 21-14 and game on.
Hertford were in it, and Captain Douglas was often at the forefront. Whether through his bulldozing tackling, or soft hands keeping the ball alive, the irregular leader led the way.

Unfortunately, the quick Stortford winger grabbed another try as the pitch opened up for him, to make it 28-14.

This was then followed by the callous anti-Corinthian Chindit decision to kick a penalty to stretch the lead to 31-14. When queried if this is what the crowd had come to see, the lamentation in response was that the crowd had come to see the Chindits win.

Hertford did incredibly well to ensure that the game did not get away from them. Anstead, so often the swashbuckling dering-dooer, but who had been limited to counter attacks from deep, was repeatedly called upon to cut down the marauding Young Stortfordians. He pulled off a couple of try saving tackles, in the battle of the teenage dirt bag low-taper fades, to just about keep us in the game.

As Hertford tried harder and harder, their play got narrower and narrower. This may not be a surprise when Hertford had the luxury of the Adult Ginger Rhino of Harris to rely upon, as the human bowling ball skittled people over. He has promised to play more than 2 games next season. With Heltsley and Carpenter also providing some heft, Roe searing through gaps, and Scottish urging everyone on, Hertford were able to swing things back in their favour. With the ball eventually making it down the line, via some impressive basketball forward play by Anstead, O'Leary was released to go round his winger to score in the corner. 31-19.

There was just enough time to bring things back, but Chindits Skipper Macca, whose record suggest he has been losing finals against the Termites for at least 12 years, finished things off as he scooted out wide to score. 38-19 final score.

This meant a lot to the Chindits, and they had also benefited from the coaching input of incoming Hertford Director of Rugby Marcus Cattell, a Stortford lifer; just another of the conflicts of interests that Marcus will need to mange as he builds into his new role at Fortress Pain.

This has been yet another fantastic season for the Termites. Led, as ever and forever, by the ineffable Gawthorne, albeit he has done so from the sidelines all year. We look forward to him being back on the pitch again, as that will hopefully mean he will shout at us a bit less.

Termites: M Bell, Hollis, Heltsley, Church, J Bell, Douglas (c), Moss, Roe; Giddings, Lawrence, Anstead, Smith, Donovan, O'Leary, Brewer
Mites: Harris, Groves, Carpenter, Bailey, Cartwright
St George: Gawthorne
Waterboys: our splendid supporting crew
British photographer: Van Der Ryst [More photos to be uploaded in due course]