The visitors raced to a 10 point lead in the first quarter, but it was one-way traffic that followed, the Stour pack imposing their physical dominance to give their threequarters time and space that they clinically converted into scores. Unbeaten Stour now look optimistically to a tough October fixture list that features trips to joint-National 2 North leaders Sale and Sedgley Park.

Tom Harrison stepped up off the bench at loosehead prop, exchanging with Mark George. Debutant Ben Fowles replaced Chris Depper in the 2nd row, while Ash Elvers returned on the wing and threequarter Max Fellows made his debut from the bench. Tigers kicked off defending the northerly end with a fresh breeze on their backs and struck first through the boot of outside half Angus Bowyer when Stour were penalised for holding on in the tackle in the shadow of their posts. 4min 0-3. Tigers secured their lineout throw and launched a 1st phase threequarter attack from halfway that found Stour’s wide defences dozing, winger Henri Packard taking a pass in space to hare untroubled to the corner. 7min 0-10.

Stung into action Stour started to work through the phases, Elvers regathering his own chip in the visitors 22 to set up a promising attack that saw Tigers’ no.8 Steve Walker yellow carded for playing a man off the ball. Luke White’s kick secured Stour’s opening score, but a tackle offence at the other end gifted the points back to Bowyer. 18min 3-13.

Centre Joe Heatley attacked his opponent’s outside shoulder and offloaded to Elvers, the move reaching Tigers’ goal line but a forward pass surrendered possession. The visitors’ were unable to regather their short clearance kick though, the ball was worked to winger Joe Bridger in space who took a neat reverse pass from Heatley to cross in the corner. 23min 8-13.

A Stour lineout saw a maul driven deep into Tigers’ 22 then the ball moved wide. With the hosts bossing the contact area and the defences stretched no.8 Ciaran Moore barged a tackler out of his patch to score, White’s conversion putting Stour in the lead. 30min 15-13. Stour attacked again straight from the restart, runners making deep inroads into the Tigers’ defences before Heatley took a short pass near halfway, stepped inside and raced through the backfield to score. 32min 22-13.

Bowyer to hit back with another penalty after a scrum infringement, but as halftime loomed a set of high-tempo Stour threequarter moves set up a short-range lineout from which captain Moore rumbled over for the bonus point try. Halftime 29-16.

Referee Neil Chivers' patience was pushed by chat after a penalty award, he then brandished a yellow card at tighthead Chad Thorne who had ended up at the bottom of a Tigers' attacking maul that went down near the Stour tryline. Stour’s depleted defences held out though, they worked back downfield where 1st phase ball was worked to Elvers whose sidestep found the defenders flatfooted, fullback Rod Petty taking his inside pass to score. 52min 36-16.

White extended the lead with 2 further successful penalty kicks. 65min 42-16. A chance went begging when Heatley’s attempted offload flew into touch in Tigers’ 22, but Stour turned over the lineout and White’s neat grubber into in-goal produced a 2nd try for Heatley. 74min 49-16.

Tigers had the last say though with a well-worked try out wide for replacement Alex Graham at the death. Full time 49-21.

This Sat Sep 17th Stour host league newcomers Scunthorpe, ko 3pm. The following week they visit East Midlands outfit Leicester Lions against whom they will be looking to avenge a 4 game losing streak.