Enfield Ignatians suffered their first defeat of the season after going down 18-6 at Hemel Hempstead in London Two North-West on Saturday.

The visitors didn’t quite have the nous to tuck away of couple of try-scoring chances, and consequently landed their only points of the game via two penalties from the boot of captain Jake Bates.

Defensive lapses let in Hemel for two tries either side of the break. The more incisive hosts also added a conversion and two penalties to run out worthy winners.

Head coach Shane Manning said: “At this level it only takes two missed tackles to make a difference. It was frustrating but otherwise a fair result.

“It’s not the end of the world but it shows us where we are. We have a lot to improve on and we will. We will put the work in on the training paddock and look to get back to winning ways.”

Ignatians are now gearing themselves for the visit of Letchworth Garden City at Donkey Lane on Saturday.

Enfield's second and third teams both secured default Herts-Middlesex Merit Table wins after Weston and Barnet Elizabethans II conceded their fixtures.