Fakenham's eighteenth league game of the season saw them host Mistley at the Stringer Ground. Mistley ran out 43 - 32 winners at their place in the middle of November, an exciting game though Fakenham were hoping to overturn the result this time round.

There was a sold out pre-match luncheon, kindly sponsored by Jason, Aggie and the Gang, to swell the sidelines. With the sun out and the rain staying away, it was perfect for both sides to play some rugby and entertain the crowd.

The sides cancelled each other out at the beginning of the game, with defenses fronting up to keep their opposition out.

Eventually, midway through the first period, Fakenham became the first side to trouble the scoreboard. A smart snipe from scrum half Harry Richardson on the Mistley 22 saw him break round the side of the ruck and challenge the try line, before offloading to his pal, open side flanker Henry Hepworth-Smith, who had a simple run in under the posts. Fly half and Captain Lloyd Marshall slotted the straightforward conversion.

The defense continued to dominate in the first half and it took quarter of an hour before another score. Marshall nailed a penalty to extend the home side's lead.

The final score of the half went to the away side, as Mistley got onto the scoreboard with a penalty kick of their own, leaving the half time score 10 - 3.

Soon after the restart, Marshall hit another penalty to extend Fakenham's lead.

A few minutes later Mistley scored their first try, with the conversion taking them within three points.

Five minutes later, Fakenham scored their second try. Good work from full back Trent Stoltz saw him return a clearing kick with gusto, taking him into the Mistley 22. The ball was recycled quickly to the left wing, where second row James Howell was waiting to dive in for a simple try after quick hands from old boy Rob Ward. Marshall hit an impressive conversion from the left touchline to restore the ten point lead.

A short while later, after Fakenham had once again worked their way into Mistley territory, a penalty just to the left of the posts allowed Marshall to kick Fakenham further in front.

However, Mistley fired straight back with two quick fire tries from powerful forward runners. Successful conversions for both scores gave Mistley a one point lead at 23 - 24.

Fakenham fought back and a penalty 5 metres from the left touchline, in the Mistley 22, gave Marshall a chance to step up and take his side back into the lead. He duly nailed a very impressive penalty kick to give the home side a two point lead with just over five minutes to go.

Fakenham played sensibly to get into Mistley territory, but a couple of penalties gave the away side an easy out and way to gain territory of their own. They made it count with another try from a big forward carry, though this time the conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Mistley three points ahead with just a minute to go.

Mistley recovered the restart and confidently ran the clock down with their forward pods, before kicking the ball dead once time was up, with the final score 26 - 29.

A disappointing loss for Fakenham, who had been in control for large parts of the game and looked like they may overturn the result from earlier in the season. Congratulations to Mistley, who fought hard throughout and got their reward at the end.

The Barsham Brewery Man of Match was awarded jointly to try scorers Henry Hepworth-Smith and James Howell.

Thanks to Katering 4U for the tasty chilli the players tucked into after the game.

Thanks to James Peeling for the match photos.

Next week sees Fakenham travel to Ipswich YM, who sit second in the league and won 31 - 24 at the Stringer Ground earlier in the season. Any travelling support would be much appreciated as Fakenham look to flip that result on its head.