AMERSHAM & Chiltern RFC admit Saturday’s convincing loss in Bracknell stripped bare their ambitions and revealed the shortcomings beneath.

They lost 25-10 to the team placed third in National League 3 South West, and director of rugby Craig Burgess conceded it was a bit of a reality check.

He said: “It was a bit of an honesty call for us.

“They’re a top three team and a bit of a benchmark. They’re new to the league but have recruited well over the last two years and put together a dynamic squad.

“That’s where we thought we were, but we’re probably still a year away from being able to contend at the top of this league.

“We thought we had the depth at the start of this season, but that was probably a bit of an over-estimation.

“We’ve scratched away at the surface and we’re probably four or five players away.

“It’s a learning curve, for the players and the coaches, but we’re an ambitious club and I have every confidence that we’ve got the resources [to strengthen the squad].”

Sam Portland’s try gave Amesham an early lead after a superb break from Tom Shiel, but the hosts responded with a penalty and converted try to lead 10-5 at the break.

A second home try made it 17-5 after the interval, before Nick Fischer raced over for Amersham’s second score.

However, a missed tackle settled the game in the home team’s favour.

Burgess said: “I think the result was a fair reflection of the match and their squad and ours.

“They had a lot more firepower than us. When we got around them we scored two good tries, but we lacked penetration to break through their defensive line.”

Amersham host Brixham on Saturday aiming to avenge a two-point loss against them earlier in the campaign.