On a weekend when relegation rivals Tring pulled off a big upset by beating second-placed London Irish Wild Geese, the coach said his team should have caused an even bigger shock at leaders Bury St Edmunds but were made to pay dearly for a couple of lapses in concentration.

‘I would say for 85% of the game we dominated all areas,’ he said.

‘We won more line-out ball, our scrum was dominant, just all across the park we were there and we probably spent more time in their 22 than anywhere else on the pitch.

‘But there were probably three minutes, all within a period of 10 minutes, when we fell asleep and that’s when they scored all their tries because defensively we did not cover the open side.

‘It’s a shame because we played well for 76 minutes, but the three or four minutes we did not were the difference on the day.’

Guernsey had led 7-3 at half-time through a self-converted Glen Walters try, but midway through the second half the home side scored 17 unanswered points, with two of their three tries from distance and as the result of lazy defence.

Tom Ceillam’s converted try brought Guernsey back to within six points, but they had a losing bonus point taken from them with the last kick of the game.

Dave Davison got the hosts’ nomination as player of the match.

To make matters worse, relegation rivals Tring and CS Rugby 1863 both won and with those results we ended the weekend back on the bottom of the table with six matches remaining.

Although bottom we are only two points adrift of Tring and CS Rugby, five behind Westcliff, who arrive at Footes Lane next Saturday, and seven behind Amersham & Chiltern.

Meanwhile, Guernsey has been given another example of what is required to get out of National Three London & SE.

Bury St Edmunds has revealed they will be going semi-professional next season and offer first team players and those in the reserve Wolfhounds team a “modest cash incentive” to play and train. In return, the players will be expected to help coach the club’s thriving mini and junior sections.

Around 30 players in total will be contracted on a semi-pro basis and club chairman, Mike Robinson, speaking on behalf of the committee said: “This is something the committee have thought long and hard about, because we are finding it increasingly difficult to compete against the majority of other clubs at this level who are paying players a match fee’.

He added: ‘One team in our division has a playing budget of over £100,000, while we’re asking our squads to train twice a week, do fitness work in their own time and then sometimes get on a coach for a four hour journey before a game, currently with no recompense.

‘Therefore this move is now necessary in order for us to be able to attract and retain the calibre of player we need; not only to remain at our current level, but crucially to realise our ambitions and aspirations to become a National 2 club.

‘Nowadays, players of this standard expect modest rewards in recognition of the commitment needed to compete at this level.

‘If we are serious about progressing as a club, about retaining our best young players and attracting others, then this is a step we must now take.

‘It all comes down to having an element of control over our players, due to the commitment they need to make.

‘Of course the committee recognise that it has to be viable financially and run on a business model that is self-sustaining. Consequently, our initial budget will be relatively small.’

A separate limited company has been established to run the first team squad. It will handle payments and, where relevant, tax and NI contributions, along with players’ membership fees.

The new company, Bury Pro-Am Rugby Ltd, will be funded by sponsorship from a range of local businesses, meaning that the rest of the amateur club, including the youth and mini sections, will not be funding the move