WOODFORD -17 v THURROCK-61

Top of the table Thurrock came to Higham's this Sunday and left victorious after firmly stamping their authority on the Woodford pitch.

It all started too familiarly as the boys once again conceded very early giving away a converted try to the Thurrock full back who was as quick as a flash with the ball in his hands, but the lead did not last too long after a fantastic run by our new Essex Elite player Zion Roache as he blasted his way through the Thurrock line to score, after missing the conversion we lined up once again as we took the ball.

This possession saw us march towards our opponents line once again and some fantastic sustained pressure from the lads saw Louis Blake eventually find a way through for us to take a 10-7 lead.

The lead however was short lived and it was the last time that we were to reach this lofty height, Thurrock stepped up a gear and scored three more tries in this half to go in 22-10 up.

The second half did not get off to a great start either as Thurrock just continued where they had left off, they added 5 further tries to their tally before Ben Sharratt & Rory Chick combined well down the left which allowed Ben to score a consolation try which was duely converted by Nathan Morris with a great kick from almost on the sideline as it sailed through the middle of the posts.

Thurrock added two more towards the end as they stretched their lead at the top of Division 1.

Some hard lessons here for the boys but we must remember that this is a great Thurrock side, they are very pacy and have some great players, they pass the ball well and tackle very solidly, that is why they are top of the table and will surely win the league this year, based upon what I witnessed yesterday. The game was played in a great spirit and I truly look forward to us playing them again in the future when we will hope to provide a stronger opposition to them.

Based on the improvments I have seen so far this season week on week I honestly believe that we can provide a stronger test next time we play Thurrock, but for now they were deserved winners.

Man of the Match: Lennon Tidmarsh