Hitchin suffered their first defeat in 15 matches - a run stretching back to August - on a frustrating day at Harpenden.

The home side raced into a 10-3 lead, but the Hedgehogs showed tremendous fight to go up 24-23, going into the final 20 minutes, thanks to an opener from Second Row Jon Welsford, and a superb brace from Centre Dan Barnes, all converted by Centre Cian Hynes.

Down to 15 fit players, which included a couple of 'walking wounded', Hitchin were exploited in the final quarter, as three players, all with regular experience at Regional 2 level, each scored tries to stretch out a 16 point lead. Hitchin showed remarkable resilience to prevent further scores.

It is incredibly flattering to our mighty 2XV that Harpenden felt the need to include SEVEN players who regularly feature at Level 6, and should have been resting with a week off in their 1XV calendar. That we took the lead against this team, before their 'bomb squad' returned to the field to secure their win, shows the strength and character of this Hitchin 2XV team.

It will be fascinating to see if these Harpenden players feature again for their 2XV next Saturday, when their 1XV are also in action. Don't hold your breath!

Despite this setback, Hitchin remain 7 points in the lead at the top of Counties 3 Herts, and next travel to Cheshunt, another challenging opponent, on 14th February.