AEI sank to a third successive defeat by a single score in this hard fought Merit Table game. After only ten minutes, AEI scrum half Terry Bott made an early exit for his mandatory visit to hospital, causing a reshuffle in the AEI back line. The first half was a closely contested affair with AEI’s pack doing well at the set plays, but their backs finding it hard to get any fluidity into their game. The only score of the first half eventually went to Anstey due to some poor AEI defending at a penalty close to their line.
Anstey went further ahead with a try midway through the second half, and for a while it looked as if all AEI would have to show from the game was memories of Andy Sullivan’s exemplary kicking. However, with ten minutes to go, the AEI forwards (much to the chagrin of the backs) put in a continued spell of pressure on the Anstey line which eventually lead to Stevie Neal going over for a try. The final minutes saw AEI throwing the ball around with gay abandon in search of a try but by then they had left it too late.