On a sunny afternoon and in front of a decent sized crowd, Stags pushed the league leaders every inch of the way in a beautifully even contest of constant ebb and flow.

Stags were unrecognisable from the tentative side of recent week, the rucking, in particular, was vastly improved as was the tackling and the defence generally.

Buzzard could not have complained had the result gone the other way, but they stuck it out, especially in the final few moments when Stags went tantalisingly close.  Though Stags were disappointed at so narrowly failing to inflict only the second league defeat on the visitors, this display will put them in good heart for the final   run-ins, especially for the next game, against second placed Wellingborough on 1st March at Hinchingbrooke.

Stags had the best of the early exchanges yet Buzzard went ahead on 10 minutes, a neat sleight of hand in the centre allowing the full back to run in at will.

To their credit Stags were not fazed by this setback and continued to have the better of the battle up front, especially in the loose.  Though one or two line outs went astray.  Doug Bentley was securing a quantity of good, off the top ball.  Ball retention was miles better than of late and a Simon Leader try was just reward for a period of sustained pressure.

Even better was to follow as a quick penalty put Leader in again and with Damien Whales converting both, the second from wide out.  Stags were 14-5 up.

Then came a crucial 5 minutes.  Stags won a free kick but opted to run the ball rather than kick for position and a very minor flare up at the ensuing breakdown saw Elliot Baldwin receive a yellow card.  Just before the break Stag’s tackling for once let them down allowing Buzzard’s left wing in for a try at the corner.  14 -10 to Stags at half time.

Early second half injuries to Tom McCreadie and Leader led to the re-adjustment in the back row and at centre.  Buzzard gradually began to win more ball and they       re-took the lead from a quickly taken penalty a few yards out.  Stags were still very much in the match, however, and strong ball carrying, especially by Glen Carson and Benny Giglio, kept up the hosts attacking momentum.

The final quarter was gripping.  First Buzzard camped in the Stags 22 winning a succession of 5 metre scrums.  The pressure was severe and it looked as though Stags would buckle but a fine defence all round particularly by the back row allowed them to escape the stranglehold.

Up to the other end and interpassing between Carson and Whales left the latter just a yard short.  Seconds later Simon Orange was even closer from a Whales pass, though there was a strong suspicion that the Buzzard tackler prevented clean release.

Still Stags attacked, a penalty went narrowly wide and a drop kick was charged down until, after 9 minutes of injury time, a relieved Buzzard kicked the ball out at no side and the end of one of the best games Hinchingbrooke has staged for some time.