MARCH Bears suffered an agonising 14-13 cup defeat to Hitchin in a game marred by a serious injury to the opposition’s prop.

Saturday’s Greene King Super Deuxieme Plate (Lower) quarter-final was delayed for almost an hour early in the second half after the Hitchin prop suffered a broken ankle.

Club president Barry Feetham said: “The ambulance service is normally very good but on this occasion took a long time to arrive and get the Hitchin player to hospital.”

March were in a commanding position before the delay. A converted Aaron Connor try and a Matty Day penalty put the Bears 10-0 up.

Hitchin scored a converted try when play restarted to reduce the deficit but March extended their lead with another Day penalty.

But in the last 10 minutes Hitchin scored another converted try to put them ahead by one point.

March had a chance at the death to win the game, but Day’s 48-yard penalty went just wide of the posts.

Connor also suffered a shoulder injury early in the second half and is expected to be out for four weeks.

Feetham said: “We should have had the game wrapped up in the first half but we didn’t have the killer instinct that the needed.”

The Bears play Sawston on Saturday in a double-header to ease their fixture congestion.