Ashley Maggs, a late replacement for Sam Tuia, dives over for Jersey’s vital third try DAVID FERGUSON (00881424)

Jersey Rugby Club supporters were kept on tenterhooks before a narrow National III South East victory was secured on Saturday.

Easily the most open and thrilling match at St Peter this season, Saturday’s visitors Bishop’s Stortford came so close to inflicting Jersey’s first home defeat of the campaign and can probably point to three yellow cards in the second-half as a big reason why they didn’t.

But the eventual 25-15 win, while keeping Jersey well clear at the top, though by a reduced margin of 11 points as second-placed Old Albanians registered a bonus point victory, simply restates how tough a division this is and that the runaway victories secured almost every week in the first half of the season really were special performances.

Near-spoiled by spellbinding thrashings handed out to visitors in 2009, the big crowds that have flocked to St Peter since the start of the year have since seen a far less dominant home side forced to dig deep for victory, first hanging on with 12 men against a powerful Old Albanians pack, then coming back with three tries, from 12 points down, against a far more enterprising Bishop’s outfit on Saturday.