Barnstaple 25 – 23 Cinderford
Last-kick heartbreak for battling Cinderford
Cinderford RFC were left stunned by a dramatic late penalty that handed Barnstaple a narrow 25–23 victory in an action-packed National League clash on Saturday.
Cinderford made a strong start, with Sonny Greenman opening the scoring after 12 minutes. Moments later, Mattie Cotton broke through the Barnstaple defence to touch down, and Greenman’s conversion gave Cinderford a deserved 10–0 lead.
Barnstaple responded before the break with a try from Matt Gohl, leaving the score finely poised at 5–10 at half-time.
Cinderford struck first after the restart with another Greenman penalty, but Gohl crossed for his second to keep the hosts within touching distance. Greenman added a third penalty to stretch the lead, yet Barnstaple hit back when Viliame Kotobalavu powered over, Henry Sellick adding the extras to edge the hosts in front.
Two yellow cards left Cinderford battling with reduced numbers, and Ben Jago’s try extended Barnstaple’s lead to 22–16. But Cinderford showed their trademark fight, as Sam Smith finished superbly in the corner and Greenman’s flawless conversion nudged them back ahead.
As the clock ticked down, Cinderford looked set to claim a hard-fought away win — until a late penalty gave Sellick the chance to steal it, which he duly did with the final kick of the game.
A cruel ending for Cinderford, but plenty of positives to take from a spirited and determined performance on the road.