They've struggled to get a side to away matches this season and turned up with a young outfit and with only the bare 15.

Our backs looked like strangers at times - which is no surprise when you consider that the two Thompsons were playing only their first game of the season and Gareth Kerr hasn't trained with the side.

But Phil Thompson almost went over in the first minute after a great break by Allan Milne.

Stabs did put us in front when our early pressure resulted in a penalty after four minutes. But Mark Hardcastle who is only one year younger pulled the scores level after eight minutes.

But one minute later we scored the first of our five tries. Paul Rudd - deservedly voted Player of the Year by the supporters after the game - broke from the back of a maul. He looked like he might race to the line himself, but wisely drew the full back and off-loaded to Chocky who went over to cement his position as current leading try scorer. A fact relayed to Jamie Connolly at his hotel in Chile!

Stabs converted and we hoped we would romp away and settle the nerves. Sandal had other ideas. They have one or two useful backs and stretched our cover wide on both flanks before centre Matt Blake went through a gaping hole on 12 minutes to make it 10-8.

We did stretch our lead on 20 minutes when pressure up the left saw the ball quickly spun out to Stabs who managed to take it at his feet. Allan Milne opened up a gap to feed Mark Thompson and eighteen year old full back Tom Rance timed his run to perfection to go over unchallenged.

Stabs missed the conversion, and missed a sitter of a penalty when we had them rocking in the scrums, and could have gone for a pushover try.

But he made up for it on 32 minutes when he slipped Hardcastle a dummy from five metres and went in under the posts for the biggest cheer of the afternoon. It was, after all, his 99th game in charge.

At 22-8 the game became moribund. Stabs did get a penalty on 63 minutes to make it 25-8 and then Brett Cullinane we nt over on 70 minutes after great work by Tim Sawyer.

At 32-8 it looked like we might get more but as we pressed Stabs made a hash of a pass on their 22 and full back Froggett intercepted and galloped the length of the pitch. It was no more then he deserved. Hardcastle had an easy conversion but on a perfect pitch he slipped as he ran up and missed - but only just. [By the way he's asking if anybody has a video of the attempt.]

Time for one last try and Gareth Kerr got it. He's looking classier and faster every time he returns and could have done with more ball.

He got his try in some style at the death wide on the right.