Cinderford produced a stunning comeback to snatch a thrilling victory over Old Redcliffians at Scotland Lane, overturning a 29-10 deficit early in the second half.
The home side started the stronger of the two teams, with Jon Cook crossing for two tries, both converted by Ash Groves, who also added a penalty. Cinderford responded with unconverted tries from Harry Tovey and Nathan Taylor to make it 17-10 at the interval.
Old Redcliffians came out flying after the break, with Ollie Stratton and Harrison Murphy scoring, along with another Groves conversion, seemingly putting the hosts out of reach at 29-10.
However, the Forest team refused to give up. A penalty try set the comeback in motion, before Oliver Johnson crossed the line, with Luke McMahon converting to bring Cinderford within striking distance at 29-24. The visitors took the lead for the first time when replacement Jonny Holliday scored a try, converted by McMahon, who then sealed the remarkable turnaround with a penalty on the final whistle.
Cinderford squad: Sonny Greenman, Toby Maddock, Harry Tovey, Morgan Davies, Will Anderson, Luke McMahon, Grady Alford, Tim Brockett, Nathan Taylor, James Elliot, Tyler Jerrum (capt.), Ben Carpenter, Aaron Ryan, Dan Broady, Jake Polledri.
Replacements: Oliver Johnson, Jed Soper, Joe Mullis, Jonny Holliday, Josh Horrobin.
Head Coach Clive:
“A rollercoaster of a game and one we’ll remember for some time. The start was tough – playing with 13 men and 17-0 down could have made it a long day. The most pleasing thing was the composure the squad showed under pressure. Even at 29-10, we believed in the basics and in each other. It took all 20 players being on the same page to deliver this fantastic win against a quality Old Reds side. Things don’t get any easier this week as we face a very ambitious and well-coached Exeter University team.”