Sils travelled up the M6 to Stoke to take on the Staffordshire side who had a slightly better playing record than Sils. Stoke had 1 win out of 4 against Sils' 0/4.
The pre match hospitality was excellent and as the Stoke side was announced in the clubhouse the injured Stoke captain reeled off a list of injured 1st XV regulars and 2nd XV replacements. This gave the visitors a glimmer of hope as they too had a long list of injuries as well as an 11th hour front row 'non-availability'.
For the second week running, lock forward Nick Elliott stepped into the breach to man up the loose-head prop slot and did another stirling job.
On a bright afternoon, perfect for running rugby the match between two apparently evenly matched sides kicked off.
80 or so minutes later (we think it was nearer 75) the handful of travelling Sils supporters were put out of their misery when the referee ended one of the most one sided games in recent Sils history.
Untested partnerships and poor tackling in the Sils back line played right into Stoke's hands. Strong running from their 8, 10, 11, 12 and 15 resulted in a glut of tries. Sils only response were a well taken try by left wing Stu Clarke and a burrowing try from tight-head Mark O'Leary.
Stoke played simple, effective rugby exploiting Sils' weaknesses time and time again.
Sils are currently propping up Midlands 1 (West) and need to get their season going soon.
This Saturday Sils entertain Stratford upon Avon who are only two places above Sils. A big, noisy crowd is required at Copt Heath to cheers the boys on.