Bugge locked in changing rooms.

The Stags may or may not have played their best thirty minutes of the season to be leading 12-22 at half time on their Channel Islands trip with a bonus point in the bag already . So the coach thought at least.

Score lines can deceive however and part of the untold story was the creaking scrummage on the one hand ( on their first two scrums CS had been unceremoniously shunted off their own ball ) and the fact that CS's kicker , Scott Hadden had landed just one kick out of six ( including two missed gimmes ) on the other. The match could have been won already but certainly could still be lost.

For the last ten minutes or so of the half Guernsey controlled possession and territory and it was only down to excellent but nail biting defence that they did not further close the gap. Another home score - and, possibly worse, a penalty try and yellow card - seemed inevitable .

Throughout this ten minute siege one constant was the outstanding defence of open side
Joe Clarke.

And so, luckily, CS arrived at half time with that lead - but clearly this match was far from over , especially as the bracing breeze now favoured the home side.

It looked as if there had been a massive swing in the bailywick's favour when within three minutes of the restart centre Tom Mitchell left the field , hospital bound and looking like Cyclops.

Bizzarely his replacement in the back line was all tackling open side Joe Clarke. These were desperate times and one had to question where the only back replacement might be .

He, Tom Bugge , emerged
minutes later and was rolled on : he had answered a personal call of nature and had been locked into the changing rooms at the break!

That was bad luck but there was a battle still to be won or lost . Somehow , despite a late yellow , the Stags bravely hung on !

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