What a game! Bath 31-3 in front at half time, two Penalty Tries to Sarries, two Bath forwards in the bin at the same time and we lose the second half 26-3. Well done Ash, you managed to make this much more enjoyable than the pile of rubbish we watched at the Rec last year.

Bath had the first opportunity to score with a relatively straightforward touchline penalty after four minutes but it was missed by Chris Malone. However within a few minutes Bath scored their opening try, following a counter attack from within their own half. Saracens turned the ball over, it was taken by Nick Walshe who fed Frikke Welsh to score. This time Malone's kicking boots found their target to give the visitors a 0-7 lead after eleven minutes.

Just two minutes later Bath scored their second try. Michael Stephenson latched on to a loose ball, hoofed it over the line and James Hudson fell on the ball for an amazing 0-12 lead after 13 minutes. Malone chipped his kick over the bar to give Bath a 0-14 lead.

Saracens opened their account after 18 minutes with a penalty in front of the posts, after Bath had been adjudged offside. But just three minutes later Bath scored their third try through David Bory to make the score (after Malone's conversion) an amazing 3-21 just as the game left its first quarter. In his excitement (and perhaps surprise) at Bath doing so well, referee Rowden fell over just as the try was scored.

Just on the half hour Chris Malone stretched Bath's lead by three points with a 40 metre penalty. Two minutes later Bath's important try-scoring bonus point was secured with a try from Alex Crockett after he'd charged down a clearance kick from Glen Jackson. Malone's conversion took the score to 3-31 after 31 minutes.

Bath then disappointed their travelling supporters by not scoring any more points in the last nine minutes of the half.

Saracens made three player changes to their scrum and nearly got a dream start to the second half but unfortunately for the home side, Steffon Armitage knocked the ball forward just as it looked as though all he could do was score. Three minutes later it looked as though Bath would grab their fifth try of the game, after Chris Malone (somewhat ironically) charged down another clearance from Glen Jackson but, like Armitage before him, he knocked on when he should have scored. Bracken was then introduced and started to speed up the Sarries play.

Finally after 54 minutes Saracens scored their opening try, a Penalty Try after the Bath scrum succumbed under pressure (standing up) giving referee Rowden, in his opinion, no option but to penalise the visitors. A Jackson conversion took the score to 10-31. Bath then had their forward task made harder by the binning of two forwards: firstly David Flatman and, within moments, Zac Feau'nati. This left Bath with just six men in the pack to face a rampant Saracens scrum five metres from the Bath line. Inevitably Saracens scored their second try, again a Penalty Try, to make the score 17-31. the home side were now on a roll and Bath had to draw on all their physical and mental reserves to keep the rampaging hordes at bay.

Sarries continued to pummel Bath through the forwards and to help even things up (a little) Frikkie Walsh joined the scrum as a flanker. Duncan Bell's season long injury got the better of him with 12 minutes to go and this brought about uncontested scrums which helped ease the pressure on Bath. However normal service was resumed in the scrum once the binning of Flatman ended.

 With over eight minutes left Saracens scored their third try, through Steffon Armitage and Bath were playing like a punch-drunk boxer clinging on to the ropes desperately hoping for the final whistle. Malone gave Bath some breathing space with five minutes to go with a penalty, Bath's first score of the second half!

Armitage grabbed his second try with just seconds to go to give Saracens two bonus points (losing and try scoring) to send Bristol down to 11th in the league.

After a very boring draw in the corresponding match at The Rec this was the complete opposite with Bath dominating the first half and Saracens the second in a game that will be remembered for a long time by those who braved the wet to get to Vicarage Road. A great result, well done Bath!

Referee: Ashley Rowden

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