This match was always one to get the locals excited about once the fixtures were originally announced as Thurrock made the short journey to face Stanford in their first ever league meeting on Saturday afternoon.

Ts made a strong start to the contest and were first on the scoreboard when Kodie Holloway crossed the line following a sharp half break from Nat Farrell. Jake Barrand added the extras to give Ts an early advantage.

Stanford responded well and drew level soon after, capitalising while Barrand was receiving treatment for an injury.

Ts quickly regained momentum as the ball was moved wide for Jake Jones, who finished well out wide. Barrand converted once again to extend the lead.

The forward pack then asserted themselves, with Rick Percival powering over from a driving maul. Ts continued to exploit this strength when Holloway grabbed his second try of the afternoon, cleverly breaking early from another maul off a lineout to catch the Stanford defence napping. Barrand converted the latter as Ts took a commanding lead into the Break.

Thurrock continued their dominance upfront as former Stanford player, Percival claimed his second try, once more from a dominant driving maul, with another former Stanford man, Barrand once again converting.

One of the standout moments of the match followed, as Barrand scored a superb solo try, dummying and stepping his way through the Stanford defence from around 40 metres out.

Stanford rallied and added their second try out wide after a sustained period of pressure, helped by a spate of penalties against Ts.

Ts finished strongly however, when Jones grabbed his second try after another excellent break from Barrand, with debutant Oli Smith showing great composure to deliver the final pass for the assist.

The scoring was rounded off when Kieron Sherman-Coulson crossed for his first Ts try, following a perfectly timed pass from Percival. Barrand converted to cap an impressive all-round performance.

A commanding display from Ts, combining forward dominance with clinical finishing out wide.

Thurrock head into 2026 with a commanding lead at the top of Counties 1 Essex following Romfords defeat to Campion and will be hoping to kick off the New Year in Style when they travel to Campion on the 10th January

A year that started in turmoil as Ts faced relegation has ended in triumph with a Papa Johns Trophy win and an exciting league campaign to date. Bring on 2026