IT was another action-packed weekend for teams representing Stroud RFC on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday the 1st XV headed up the A38 to Hempsted for a Counties 2 Gloucestershire North match against Gordon League RFC.

The home side came flying out of the blocks, claiming a try on the five-minute mark as full-back Robert Jones broke through the defence after a series of scrums in the Stroud 22.

Stroud looked to attack from the restart, but a dropped pass was pounced upon by The League, who took play back into the Stroud 22.

A penalty was awarded and a kick to the corner gave the hosts a line out 5m from the Stroud line. No further invitation was needed and a second try was added courtesy of a well-executed drive. 10-0.

Stroud kicked long and the ball was knocked on. A deluge of scrums followed, with the Stroud pack edging the early exchanges, winning a scrum against the head and forcing a couple of penalties from the home pack.

However, it was a line out that set the platform for Stroud to get themselves on the score board as winger Dean Tattersall touched down in the corner after a number of phases.

But Gordon gathered the kick-off and powerful forward carries moved play into the Stroud 22 and fly-half Luke Mcmahon chipped the ball over the defence and dived on the ball to take the score to 15-5.

Just before the break, Stroud did reduce the deficit courtesy of a penalty try after a Gordon player had deliberately batted the ball out of play as Harry Lightfoot looked to touch down and at half-time it was 15-12.

Going down the hill second half, the hosts' pack came into the game, with bulldozing runs taking the attack deep into the Stroud half and after some hard carries and slick passing, they were over for another try.

The driving maul was causing some real issues for Stroud and once again it was employed to great effect, adding a score from five meters out, followed by a third of the half to establish a commanding lead going into the final 20 minutes.

Stroud did strike back with a Dean Tattersall score on the charge, but Gordon League continued to press hard and added two more tries to take the lead to an emphatic 48-17 final score.

Meanwhile, the Stroud Nomads were also in Gloucester, albeit on the other side of the tracks, playing Gloucester Old Boys II in a Gloucester and District 3 match. A strong Nomads performance saw them record an impressive 19-14 win over a doughty Old Boys XV.

On Sunday, the Colts were at home in the league, playing a physical game against a well-drilled Dursley side in tough conditions. The match was a closely contested affair, but Dursley had the upper hand in the end, taking the win by a single point, 20-21.