For a second week in succession the Stags went crashing to a heavy home defeat. This one was the more galling : Guernsey had been beaten away and just after half time in this game their lead had been cut back to six points and no one would have predicted that the floodgates were about to open.

As it was, Guernsey then went on to score five more times through a combination of impressive forward play ( their catch and drives proving particularly effective), good handling skills and, it has to be said, the Stags’ handing over to them of a couple of opportunities on a plate. A team of three referees presided over the debacle or spectacle, depending on your viewpoint.

It was a day made for running rugby, albeit on a still somewhat heavy pitch, with the low and bright sun the most prominent weather feature for the first time in a while. It was surprising therefore that the respective kickers should between them early on miss three fairly straight forward shots at goal ( CS two, Guernsey one ) although their success rate did later improve.

Half time saw Guernsey with a promising, for them, 6-19 lead which hardly reflected the evenness of the contest until that point, however. A quick tap and go by industrious scrum half Tom McArthur five minutes into the second period , well supported, and moved quickly wide to wing, Richard McLaughlin seemed to bring the home side right back into the contest but the aforementioned combination of factors accompanied by some cruel rub of the green saw the Sarnians speeding out of sight.

Guernsey head coach Reynolds freely admitted that the contest was not as one-sided as the score line suggested: “'It was actually a really competitive game of rugby, with both teams looking to play an expansive game throughout,” he said. 'We deserved the win and played really well for the whole 80 minutes, which was really pleasing to see, but 50-13 certainly didn't reflect the overall balance of play. A few times the ball bounced kindly for us and not for them, but we will take that because there are games where the opposite happens, so it evens itself out. CS Rugby beat us (30-23) earlier in the season, so to get such a comprehensive win in the end against a fantastic side is brilliant for us.”

“Fantastic side“ might be a little difficult to swallow but he was certainly most gracious in victory and it was a welcome acknowledgment that score lines can fairly quickly become distorted.

One that was not and which caught everybody by surprise was Barnes’ 24-17 win last Saturday against top of the table - and CS’s comprehensive vanquishers the previous week - Dorking! That result, fair play to Barnes, is quite a statement that the relegation battle has some way to run yet.

CS are away to Westcombe Park at Goddington Lane, Orpington , http://www.westcombeparkrugby.co.uk/location/ on Saturday in a game featuring two sides anxiously looking over their shoulders. “ Combe” won the Duke’s Meadows encounter 13-21 earlier in the season.. Kick-off is an early one: 1400.

CS Rugby 1863 scorers:

Try : McLaughlin

Conversion: Ward

Penalties: Ward (2)