Ionians' pack made life very difficult for the hosts who struggled to contain tighthead Steve Johnson at the scrum. Stour fought back and were still in the game on the hour mark, Gary Dipple’s try bringing them within a score, but Ionians finished the game off clinically, their 6 tries including 2 pushovers and one penalty try from the scrum.

With Nathan Bressington unavailable Stef Cooksammy returned on the wing. Drew Harper & Chris Depper switched starting & replacement roles. Fred Brookes and Steve Blackburn returned on the bench where they joined Osh Oyekan, back from a broken ankle while on loan at DK last season and making his club debut. A stiff North Westerly breeze was blowing on the backs of Stour as they kicked off in intermittent bright sunshine on an ideal playing surface that did credit to the groundstaff.

Jack Spencer regathered the kickoff and Stour probed the Ionians defences with a set of promising drives that ended with a handling error. In a preview of things to come the Stour front row found themselves under intense pressure at the scrum and were penalised for failing to stay square. A further penalty concession gave Ionians prime field position and Stour old boy Chris Reakes took advantage of a misunderstanding in the hosts’ midfield to touch down unchallenged behind the posts. 5min 0-7.

An overcooked positional kick gave Ionians scrum feed near their own 10m line, this time the penalty went Stour’s way but Caolan Ryan’s long-range shot at goal flew wide. Back came Stour, a penalty award giving Ryan an easier kick at goal but it drifted left. An obstruction after a Tom Jarvis kick ahead gave him a 3rd opportunity and this time he nailed it. 12min 3-7.

A line break by Nigel Mukarati allowed Stour to press an attack deep into the Ionians’ 22 but the opportunity passed as a ball carrier was penalised for not releasing. Ben Hughes picked off an Ionians lineout throw but Stour couldn’t move the ball and found themselves defending in their 22 again when a high tackle was penalised. A tackle midemeanour drew another penalty but outside half James Ferguson’s shot at goal missed the target.

Ryan timed his jump perfectly to take a high ball under considerable pressure, he wrong-footed the defence and broke clean through, feeding Eji Uzoigwe in support. The ball was worked quickly left where Mukarati was hauled down about 10m out but Ionians’ winger Luke Thundercliffe drifted offside and killed the move, earning himself a yellow card. Ryan kicked for the corner, Stour couldn’t drive the maul so launched a set of drives but an offload was picked off and Ionians cleared. A worked move at the lineout put Dale Garner through unopposed on Ionians’ vacant right wing but the pass to him had drifted forward. Johnson turned the screw again at the scrum, up came the Stour font row and the penalty was kicked clear. Same result at the next scrum, drawing a warning from referee Tom Davis and a tactical switch as Blackburn replaced Mark George at loosehead.

Stour drove back the Ionians maul and were awarded a penalty. With the visitors still a man down in the backfield Ryan tapped and ran from the Stour 22, launching a set of phases with Stour recycling the ball well, probing the defences until Toby Handley was worked through a gap. He was brought down on the Ionians 22 where a huge clear out by Garner drew verbals from his opposite number that Dr Davis took exception to and penalised, to the unintended benefit of Ionians for Stour had worked an overlap on the left side. Ryan slotted the penalty, 26min 6-7.

With the Ionians right wing still vacant Ryan’s infield clearance kicked took a wicked bounce, he won the race to secure lose ball and launched an attack that caught the retreating defenders offside. He slotted another penalty to take the lead. 29min 9-7.

The next two scrums saw penalty awards traded. Ionians’ backfield struggled to secure a Dipple kick ahead, the clearance charged down into the 22 by the chasing Depper but this time the bounce favoured the defender and Ionians cleared. Now Blackburn got penalised at the scrum, Ionians kicked for territory and Ferguson found a gap in the Stour first up defences. The cover just about held them out but at the cost of a penalty conceded. Ben Barkley retired with a head injury, Dipple moved to the centre with Oyekan at left wing. Ionians opted to scrum forced a pushover with no.8 Alex Torkington the scorer. Halftime 9-14.

Ionians ran an early second half penalty award near halfway and then turned over a Stour lineout throw deep in their 22.They looked to have worked an overlap but Dipple had been taken out off the ball. Turnovers and penalties prevented either side from mounting any lengthy period of pressure, Ionians opting to go to the corner with one that was eminently kickable, an inside pass finding flanker Socino Santiago who breezed through to score under the posts. 50min 9-21.

Brookes replaced Garner, with Robbie Hurrell on for Ciaran Moore shortly after. The penalty count continued to climb but the game had reached a stalemate until a penalty award to the visitors was reversed for foul play. Stour kicked for touch, Brookes’ throw found Hurrell, Shillingford straightened the angle and a neat offload put Dipple one on one with the visitors’ fullback who he rounded to score. 62min 16-21.

Drew Harper replaced Depper. Ionians secured lineout ball in the Stour midfield and ground a maul downfield, sucking in defenders before releasing winger Sam Wilson whose crossfield run was rewarded with a try under the posts after evading the grasp of several would-be tacklers. 66min 16-28.

A 5m attacking scrum was gifted to the visitors, they took full advantage with a drive that was rewarded with a penalty try. 70min 16-35. The next scrum drew another penalty award that saw Mark George despatched to the sin bin. Ionians kicked to the corner and executed a catch & drive against the depleted Stour pack. 75min 16-42.

Up went the tempo, Ionians taking a quick tap penalty in their own half as the clock ran down but conceding a penalty for holding on in the tackle. Harper reciprocated, Ryan’s sidestep fashioned a line break and Ash Oyekan somehow managed to work his way through four tiring would-be tacklers. Full time 21-42.

Next up April 18th Stour travel up to Deeside to take on Chester in their last away game. The week after they host Harrogate in the final home game of the season, kick off 3pm.