Worthing were unable to conjure a comeback after a slow start as they came away with a single point from their travels to St Albans.

Early tries off the back of a dominant forwards performance by Old Albanians left the Raiders on the back foot and two tries adrift heading into half time.

Scores from Will Rigelsford, Caleb Ashworth and a double from Fraser Bruce were enough to make sure Worthing didn’t come away empty handed from a back-and-forth contest.

Worthing were unable get into the game early on after giving away a string of penalties which helped the hosts to pin them in their own territory.

Old Albanians dominated possession and went up by two tries within the first quarter thanks to an aggressive performance in the scrum, ruck and maul.

It wasn’t until the seventeenth minute that Raiders got into the Old Albanian’s half of the field and after kicking for territory found themselves attacking the 22.

Prop Caleb Ashworth broke from a maul and powered towards the line before Bruce carried the ball the final few metres and over the whitewash for his first score.

Despite sorting issues in the scrum with substitutions, Albanians were once again able to dot down for two unanswered scores to take their lead to 21 points with 30 minutes gone.

However, Raiders managed to snatch a try back before the break when fly half and captain Jack Forrest burst into enemy territory and was brought down a few metres from the line.

Worthing moved the ball well to winger Will Rigelsford who touched down in the corner for the score.

After pressuring the hosts for another score shortly before the break Worthing brought more attacking pressure into the second half with regular substitutes maintaining momentum. Despite the pressure, Raiders were unlucky to be stopped in their tracks when a promising attack was intercepted for the hosts to extend their lead.

The game looked to be slipping away but prolonged spells of possession allowed Worthing to regain their confidence.

Front row pair Frank Taggart and Caleb Ashworth made telling bursts with ball in hand which lead to Will Rigelsford being held up a metre short of the line. With help from Old Albanians infringements two quick tap penalties helped prop Bruce to grab his second score of the day.

Raiders maintained their momentum and a powerful break by Ollie Crow almost led to a try under the posts.

With Albanians adding a penalty kick to eek the score out further, Raiders closed the gap slightly with a catch and drive maul. Caleb Ashworth’s try gave Worthing a consolation bonus point but could not stop Old Albanians from kicking a final penalty to end the match 39-26.

Worthing return this weekend for a tough home fixture against third place Bury St Edmunds.