A calamitous last 30 minutes saw Stowmarket snatch an unlikely defeat from the jaws of victory at West Norfolk.

From a 29-10 lead, the visitors conceded three converted tries to lose by two points.

Stowmarket spread the ball well from the outset which allowed Nathan Acheson and Dan Garrard space and time to attack to great effect, whereas West Norfolk relied on a more dominant performance around the fringes of the forwards.

Quite how Stowmarket lost though is unfathomable. They started with an excellent try in the 10th minute which Tom Searles converted to add to an earlier penalty – a score that West Norfolk countered with a good try of their own.

Further tries were converted for Dudley Mennie and Acheson before half-time and when the latter added another down the right flank in the 50th minute it should have been game over.

However, some poor decisions and a loss of intensity allowed the grunting West Norfolk forwards to start to exert their power.

They scored immediately after the restart and again in the 60th minute, both conversions successful to make it a five point match.

Their final score in the 76th minute sealed an improbable victory but one that would not have been allowed if Stowmarket had played this season with a measure of confidence.

This was a much-improved performance on previous weeks but teams lacking confidence lack the killer instinct and that cost dearly.