Royston 2’s had a harder time than their counterparts coming up against local rivals Stevenage. The first half saw Stevenage repeatedly attack the Royston line, breaking tackles and gaining yards. The Royston defence collapsed allowing Stevenage across the line. With their confidence high Stevenage put two more tries past Royston, missing one of the three conversions. The Crows looked like they were in serious trouble, but an interception by Lee Gilbert in Royston’s 22 gave the opening they needed. Gilbert made significant ground, offloading to Chris Chivanganye who scored beneath the posts, leaving an easy conversion for Danny Gwilliams. The second half saw Royston rally and go on the offensive, after repeated surges towards the Stevenage line, the ball was turned over, however an interception by Colin Letch saw the captain cross the line for the home side’s second try. Royston continued to play aggressively and quick hands by Max Ayliffe allowed Mike Robertson to score in the corner. Just two points behind, Royston looked like they could snatch a victory, however handling errors lost the Crows the advantage. This final whistle spelled a close defeat for Royston 17-19. The energy show by the Crows in the second half should raise the side’s spirits ahead of next week’s game away to Hackney III’s.