RUGBY UNION: Stowmarket 1ST. XV 49 Haverhill 1ST. XV 3. Stowmarket, sponsored by J.V.Windows, welcomed Haverhill to Chilton Fields for the annual David Franklin memorial match.

STOWMARKET 1ST. XV 49 HAVERHILL 1ST. XV 3

Stowmarket, sponsored by J.V.Windows, welcomed Haverhill to Chilton Fields for the annual David Franklin memorial match. The hosts were without the influential Tony Crowe but Ed Baker returned to the wing after injury. With perfect conditions, Haverhill kicked off but it was the hosts who made the early running and following a superb break from centre Gareth Deane, flanker Greg Thomas was on hand to score his third try of the season. Haverhill hit back immediately and they were rewarded with a well-struck penalty to reduce the lead to 7-3. Stowmarket were dominating in the scrums and only poor decision making at crucial times stopped them adding to their advantage. Eventually stand-off Paul Roberts, enjoying another good match in the midfield, sold a trade-mark dummy to the Haverhill defence and crossed the line unopposed to score under the posts to allow the home side to take a comfortable 14-3 interval lead.

Stowmarket enjoyed total dominance during the second period and they scored five more tries at regular intervals. Scrum-half Mick Ellis burrowed over from close-range before the try of the afternoon from stand-in winger Neil Dick after another brilliant break through the Haverhill rearguard from Deane. Flanker Steve Kingsley added a brace for his first scores of the season and skipper No. 8 Bill Norfolk touched down after the Stowmarket pack drove Haverhill back over their own line from a 5 metre scrummage, full back Gary Dade added the extra points with seven successful conversions. Stowmarket go into their last two league fixtures of the season knowing that a single point will guarantee a play off place against the runners up from Eastern Counties 2 South.