STRATFORD-upon-Avon RFC suffered a 31-14 defeat at Edwardians in the club’s penultimate game of the season.
Tries from Tom Stanley and Jake Lowe proved in vain for Stratford at Streetsbrook Road.
And the result means Stratford will finish the Regional 2 Midlands West campaign in 11th place and face a relegation play-off to remain in the division.
The swirling wind made life difficult for both teams as Edwardians scored the game’s first try on the quarter-hour mark following a scrum close to the line.
Controversy reigned soon after when Stratford looked certain to score through a combination of Dan Whitby and Armin Tofighi only for the referee to pull play back for a head injury to an Edwardians player.
And Edwardians made the most of that reprieve to score a second converted try in the right corner as the visitors took a 14-point lead into the break.
The home side extended their lead with a try early in the second half and struck again to secure a bonus point with a 24-point advantage.
Stratford eventually troubled the scoreboard as Stanley crashed over and Whitby converted after Lowe pounced on an Edwardians error and made good ground.
However, the hosts then lost blindside flanker Angus Wightman to the sin-bin for a high tackle and coughed up a handful of chances to reduce the deficit further despite playing with a man less.
Edwardians scored a fifth try to end the game as a contest before Wightman returned to the field and Lowe scored the game’s final try for the visitors after he threw a dummy and dove over the line.
The defeat means Stratford will have to play a relegation play-off once the regular season has concluded with the club urging the town to come out and show their support for the side in their final league fixture.
Stratford finish the season with a home game against Hereford on Saturday, April 11 with kick-off at 3pm at Pearcecroft.
