SSE NATIONAL 3 (LSE)
THURROCK 19 v 21 TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS
ON a very wet and miserable day, both teams produced a highly entertaining game that was just shaded by the visitors. Thurrock put behind them a horrible run of form and settled down and looked to move the ball despite the conditions.
Thurrock opened the scoring when great work from Frankie Neale chipped ahead and turned the TJ defence he then won the race for the touchdown to score wide out, he then picked himself up and added a great conversion. Thurrock continued in the same vein and when an intended grubber through bounced of a defenders knee and kindly fell to the visitors for a breakaway try, but a blatant shirt pulling on Frankie Neale not only stopped him of the chance to make a try saving tackle he had the misfortune to get yellow carded for he said to the referee, a feeling of injustice all round but the try stood, but the conversion was wide.
A couple of penalties put Thurrock on the back foot and defending a 10 metre line-out but a patient forward rumble enabled the visitors to take their lead with their second try, again the conversion went wide.
Markus Burcham then added a penalty in Neale’s 10 minute absence to level the scores, and when Neale came back to the fray he was hand to kick two more penalties and deservedly extended the lead, but minutes before the break another forward rolling maul gave them a third try, again unconverted, so the gap was just one point.
Undoubtedly the conditions worsened as the game entered into the second period and chances became very limited Neale then added his third penalty to make the score 19-15 but then Hawkes kicked a penalty his first success of the game and then with 11 minutes to go was gifted another close to the posts and Thurrock now trailed by 2 points, Neale had a chance to win the game but his long range penalty hit the underside of the crossbar. So close yet so far, it was a disappointment for the home side, not help by a hamstring injury to the impressive Brad Retigan, but the inclusion of new signing James Kellard caught the eye of the Thurrock faithful.
TEAM: Neale, Farrell, Pruce, Stanley, Porter, Burcham, Cook, Rate ,Durrance, Bevans-Royston, Cooper-Hicks, Flavin, Timson, Kellard, Retigan
Rep; Yeomans, Rudgeley, Loka
This Saturday Thurrock have a welcome break, the next league game is at BISHOP STORTFORD on 8th December the game will kick off at 2.00PM
