Thurrock delivered a ruthless attacking performance on the road, running in 13 tries in an emphatic 83–5 victory away at East London, with Nat Farrell marking his record-breaking 205th appearance with a Man of the Match display. The match saw Farrell overtake former Captain, Charlie Russo, to stand out as the Mens leading appearance holder since we started keeping record in 2008

The visitors started with intent, taking control early and pinning East London deep inside their own half. That pressure quickly paid off as Malachy Watts-Adams opened the scoring, powering over from a driving maul in the left corner.

Thurrock struck again soon after, showing great awareness. A quick tap penalty saw Grant Scott weave through to score, with Jake Barrand adding the conversion.

The backs were in full flow, and Leo McCarthy added the third, outpacing the cover defence to finish in the right corner.

Momentum continued as Farrell crossed for his first. A half break from Alex Jones created the opportunity, offloading under pressure to send Farrell in under the posts. Barrand converted, although Jones was forced off injured in the process, replaced by Scott Chitty.

The forward dominance continued, and another driving maul saw Rick Percival dot down on the right, with Barrand adding an excellent conversion.

East London responded just before the break, breaking down the left to score an unconverted try, but Thurrock remained firmly in control.

Thurrock picked up where they left off after the restart, with Farrell adding his second in sensational fashion. Winning a scrum against the head on halfway, the ball was moved quickly wide, allowing Farrell to beat his opposite man and cut through three defenders to score under the posts. Scott converted.

The tries continued to flow as Harry Reynolds crossed following a well-worked strike move, breaking through two tacklers before finishing. Barrand added the extras.

Reynolds soon had his second, showing blistering pace down the left before chipping ahead. Darryl Worster regathered and kept the move alive before McCarthy sent Reynolds over. Barrand converted once more.

Farrell was again central to the next score, producing a powerful break down the wing before offloading to Chitty. A fortunate bounce fell to Jack Cowman, who finished well under pressure.

Worster then added a try of his own, bursting through the midfield from another well-executed strike play, with Barrand again successful from the tee.

There was also a memorable return for Joss Nunn, who marked his comeback with a try after a sharp break from Kieron Sherman-Coulson. Nunn added his second shortly after, finishing a quick tap penalty from Barrand with excellent footwork.

Reynolds completed his hat-trick to round off the scoring. Slick hands from Chitty, Anthony Catchpole and Malachy Watts-Adams sent him clear, and the winger cut back inside to score under the posts. Barrand converted to cap a superb team performance.

Thurrock return to Oakfield next week to host Romford in another crucial fixture in the title race.

With three home games remaining, the title remains firmly in Thurrock’s hands.