The Bucks returned to winning ways in this hard fought away encounter at Stow. From the first whistle it was obvious to all that this was not the team the Bucks brushed aside so easily at Dockham Rd in September. Stow were commited to every loose ball and tackle and put the Bucks under a lot of pressure throughout the game. Unfortunately yet again the Bucks did not have a front row and the scrums were uncontested. This did not take away the intensity of the match. The Bucks had the cold wind in their faces first half and struggled to clear their lines, running the ball also proved difficult in the. The Bucks first try came from a scrum on Stow’s 22. From the back of the scrum no8 John Jelf picked up and ran at Stows no 10 making some valuable ground. The Bucks now had their tails up and drove on through 3 fazes to come within Stow 5 meter line. Scrum half Dan Nicholls collected the ball from the base of the ruck and went over to score. The try went unconverted. This seemed to transform the Bucks and they started running the ball with more conviction and it wasn’t long before a fine backs move put Ryan Walding in to score. This also went unconverted. Half time score Stow 0 Bucks 10.
Second half saw a much more open game of rugby with both sides trying to run the ball every chance they got. The Bucks however were awarded two penalties in front of the posts to bring the score to 13 nil. Stow however weren’t finished and scored a fine try of their own which also went unconverted. With mistakes now coming regularly from both teams the Bucks were rewarded with a further penalty which was again converted by full back Ryan Walding. With time running out there was just time for center Mike Jelf to score a fine try which was also converted. With 10 minutes left to play Bucks center Dan Cooper had to leave the field injured. This was when Steve Jelf came on to make it a family affair and play with his two sons John and Mike for the first time ever. What a proud moment for the Jelf family. Final score Stow 5 Bucks 23