Back to winning ways

THURROCK bounced back from their shock defeat last week with workmanlike victory over a stubborn Chelmsford side, who kept at their game for the full eighty minutes. The opening exchanges were very dour; with neither team managing to get on top, with a penalty missed on either side, the match remained scoreless in the first quarter.

Finally, Thurrock started to step up a gear and the reshuffled back row of James Flavin, Luke Crowhurst and Bradleigh Rettigan started to dominate and force the visitors inside their own 22, and from a line out Thurrock catch and drive see Luke Crowhurst ground the ball wide for an unconverted try.

Within 10 minutes a copybook situation came up with the same result and the same try scorer Luke Crowhurst doubled the home side’s lead. Thurrock then managed to string some phases together and some good interplay created an overlap which Brad Rettigan join the line and sprint through to score under the posts, Earl Gorman added the conversion for a half time lead of 17-0

With some strange interpretations of the offside law at the breakdown, and a number of injury stoppages the second half became a turgid affair, in fact in actual time the second half lasted 53 minutes. The enterprising play came from the home side but determined defending kept them at bay, but Sonny Gay added his name to the score sheet converted by Gorman, then another good forward drive see Dave Stevens add another unconverted try.

The introduction of James Reid in the back line paid dividends as with five minutes of coming on and one promising run linked up well and scored a try on debut under the posts, Ian Rudgley took over the kicking duties to add the conversion, and put and to the scoring.

All in all a good performance and they now look forward to two away matches before Christmas, they travel to Harlow, then Romford before the festive break.