Welwyn's trip to Ruislip yielded four tries each but it was a penalty that proved as the north-west Londoners took the spoils.

The 31-28 win in Counties One Herts Middlesex was actually decided by a try in stoppage time, extending Welwyn's winless streak to four.

The two bonus points accrued though keep the Hobbs Way-based rugby club above their hosts in sixth.

 

The game was competitive throughout and with the forecast rain absent, the teams only had to deal with a strong crosswind.

Welwyn were first on the score sheet after 15 minutes.

A good break by Liam Scofield put him into space and he then played the perfect pass to find the supporting Fin Sutherland.

He went under the posts and skipper Chris Kemp added the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

Ruislip responded five minutes later after neither side could hold onto the ball deep in Welwyn’s 22 but the lead continued to change hands with Alex Omole sprinting clear not long after.

Two tries though in the final two minutes of the half meant Ruislip turned round 21-14 to the good and the interval saw Welwyn turn to their bench.

Brad Wiles played most of the second half when the experienced Phil Grehan, playing against his former club, was forced off with a knee injury.

Rob Picken was another of the replacements, coming on to replace the promising Lloyd Evans in the second row.

Welwyn scored first in the second half with Anton Denton crashing over from short range and Kemp’s conversion saw the sides level again at 21-21.

It was at this point that Ruislip slotted what would be the all-important penalty and from there the game got tetchy.

A flare up on 58 minutes saw tempers boil over and after a bit of pushing and shoving by both sides, both teams found themselves a man short for 10 minutes.

The extra space on the field was exploited two minutes later, albeit by a set-piece move.

A kick to the corner brought the line-out catch and drive and as the maul rumbled towards the line, the home side pulled it down deliberately, giving Welwyn a penalty try and a further seven points.

Ruislip were also shown another yellow card but Welwyn's hopes of using that to their advantage were crushed by another sin-bin, this one sending Sutherland to the sidelines and leaving the team playing 13 v 13.

The final attack of the game broke Welwyn's stranglehold on the game though, the ball moved from a line-out on the right across to the left wing and the score.

The visitors were dealt a further blow after the final whistle.

Yourgos Alexander had left the field towards the end of the game and the diagnosis from his trip to hospital was a broken arm, meaning the experienced scrum-half is now out for the remainder of the season.

The first game he will miss is another difficult trip, this one to third-placed Chiswick on Saturday.

Datchworth had played less than 24 hours earlier, their Friday night game under the lights at Hitchin ending in a 42-5 loss.