Chipping Sodbury fell to defeat after a last-gasp Stroud penalty in a thriller at Fromehill Park.

Sodbury started their defensive work at the lineout by stealing the first four Stroud throws. Dave Turner and Matt Cook showed real intuition andathleticism to turn over Stroud as they tried to build pressure in the Sodbury 22.

Sods also made a huge effort in the scrum, fielding a thunderous front five, which included – for the first time in 12 weeks – Luke Balentine-Smith.

Stroud’s first try came from a Sodbury penalty which didn’t make it into touch. They ran it back, blasted through three rucks, and finished it off with a straight hard run, brushing away two tacklers. Their second was another long range effort, where they passed crisply and ran straight, with support giving plenty of options.

Sodbury finally made it into the home side’s 22 after half an hour. Once the lineout was won, Sodbury assailed the Stroud try-line, sending Turner and Niall Kincaid crashing in to soften up the defence. When the penalties started to come, Sodbury opted for a scrum. Despite their fierce drives, Stroud managed to turn out of trouble.

Before they knew it, Sodbury were defending their own line but repelled the threat. Jason Petchey was to the fore: he was ably joined in repelling the threat by Otto Avent, Lee Ralph, and back row wannabe Dan Bradley.

Sodbury were proving impenetrable so Stroud lofted a cross-field kick; there was a keen contest as the ball dropped from the leaden sky, and the try was duly awarded. The Sods won their first points on the stroke of half-time when, after some solid work from the pack, Jon Cook slotted a 30m penalty.

Two minutes into the second half, Sods had their first try. Following a long kick they retained the ball and rampaged into Stroud’s 22 through six rucks.

Stroud infringed under the weight of the Sodbury attack and, as the players disentangled themselves, Tom Head tapped the ball to himself 10m out, twisted and stepped past two men, was caught by the third but couldn’t deny him and Sodbury were on the comeback trail.

They received a yellow soon after but managed to turn the ‘fact’ that a team one man down will concede 12 points around – they actually scored 12 points to take the lead.

Peter Butcher was introduced at No.8; he presided over a scrum on Sodbury’s 22 and battered his way through 15m.

The clear-out was swift and Stroud more than surprised. Bradley then broke out and made 50 metres before being hauled down. The pack then swept the ball along further with fearsome rucks. The ball found its way to Dave Mouatt who smashed in to score in the far right corner.

Just minutes later, Jon Cook went in beneath the posts. This started from a scrum on Sodbury’s 22. Bradley set things in motion again, only this time the travelling support were treated to some super passing out of contact. Jake Lewis got involved from full-back to make two wonderful passes which put Cook in space before he outpaced everyone to score. He converted his own try and the Sods had the lead.

Unfortunately it was short-lived, as ill-discipline gave Stroud a shot at goal which was slotted and the contest was even at 22 a-piece. Sodbury now introduced Jake Kirkham installed at tighthead, the scrum continued to dominate, and he scythed down all comers when in defence.

The game was being contested mainly in Stroud’s half, but a pressure-relieving penalty saw them in Sodbury’s 22. The hosts had the lead once more after eight phases and a wide long pass.

The close-contact work for Sodbury was led by Avent, Kirkham, and Petchey, whose sterling tackling forced Stroud wide.

The clock was nearly red when Sodbury tapped a penalty on their own 10m line. Aware that a bonus point was possible, Butcher set off waving the ball around one-handed.

The pack joined him and produced the ball promptly. Bradley received the ball off Butcher and set off, smashing through the first two defenders. He swatted away and outpaced the next three men for a score which levelled the game.

Good teams, however, find a way to win. Stroud won the restart and controlled the ball through twelve phases until Sodbury gave away a penalty. It was stroked over from 30 metres to win the game, but the effort from Sodbury in the second half earned them a solid two points on the road.