If anyone was in doubt as to the standard required to play at the top of National Two then it was in evidence at Silver Leys on Saturday.

An out of sorts Bury were no match to a Stortford side, determined to entertain their home supporters after a stuttering start the previous week. In a match played in constant drizzle, Stortford adapted to the conditions far better than the visitors who spent large swathes of the match on the back foot defending.

To their credit, Bury defended superbly at times, particularly against many Stortford attempted catch and drives. However, all too often, having earned a turn over, they coughed up possession back to the Blues and inevitably pressure told.

Stortford raced to a 17-0 lead at half-time courtesy of tries from Chris Aldam and Matt Tomlinson, plus a Tom Banks penalty.

Soon after the break Cai Griffiths was yellow-carded before Stortford prop Seb Brownhill scored to make it 22-0.

Stortford were never going to ease up and went seeking the bonus point earning fourth try.

That duly arrived through Tom Banks as he jinked through a gap and then held off two defenders to make it 29-0.

Finally, with just over two minutes to go, Bury got on the scoresheet.

A lineout, which had misfired for most of the second half, was won cleanly, the ball sent out to Liam McBride in space and a pre-planned backs move saw right wing Michael Mellet come in off his wing to run unscathed to the line. The conversion was good and the score-line had a degree of respectability.

It was not, however, the end of the scoring as fittingly Stortford ended the game where they had been for most of it – on the front foot.

Centre Sam Winter added the final try to end a bad day for Bury.