Woodham showed that they have a grit and determination about them and frustrated the home side for a large portion of the game with dogged defence and also some good running rugby of their own

The game started at a pace and Rochford went ahead early on with a well taken try from impressive hooker Scott Chivers and which was converted by Tom Ashton.

South Woodham fought back with a penalty kick and for most of the first half the match was played with both sides trying too hard to gain superiority and many handling errors and turnovers made for a loose and unstructured period of play.

Rochford’s line out performed better this week and their set scrum was tight and secure and Rochford created many chances to go further in front but poor ball retention and stout tackling kept the score board the same.

Just before the break the stalemate was broken when a lovely piece of individual skill allowed centre Dan Needham space to scorch up the field for a try which Ashton, again converted to bring the score to 14 -3 at the turn round.

The home team, now they had a reasonable lead, started to settle down and began to gradually dominate most phases and kept Woodham under pressure through possession and territory but were frustrated by the visitor’s stubbornness.

The constant pressure eventually paid off when young second row Scott Horsburgh crashed over for a try and Ashton added the extra two points to give Rochford a 21 -3 lead.

The emphasis was now on the bonus try point and the home outfit went all out for it but South Woodham fought all the way, and together with some slack Rochford finishing the score stayed the same until the last few minutes.

After a series of scrums on the Woodham line a drive over the try line saw a delighted Scott Horsburgh emerge from all the collapsed bodies to take the try and conclude a satisfying afternoon for the home team.