After a delay due to last minute pitch inspections the game went ahead and impressive Rochford overcame the conditions and good opposition to carve out a deserved victory.

This was a game that the boys in black needed to win and they were in no mood to compromise to get it and for most of this close encounter they were the better side.

In these conditions it was essential that the force would have to come from the forwards and so it was .They were outstanding in how they adapted to the prevailing conditions and were dominant in the set scrums where they regularly took ball against the head and pressurised their opponents into making mistakes.

The lineout was also a source of good ball and the loose was a minefield where both teams fought out a battle all afternoon.

The tone was set early in the first half when Rochford’s forwards drove second placed Saffron back into their twenty metre area and a scrum formed.

From there a powerful drive by the pack drove the visitors over the line in the corner and Captain Sam Tape took the honours with the touchdown.

Walden are not a side to take that lightly and they came back to apply their own pressure to force Rochford back into their own half and give away a penalty .The kick was duly turned into 3 points to reduce the deficit.

In spite of the deteriorating pitch both sides fought it out for supremacy but the home side always had the edge through their pack and the boot of stand off Tom Ashton continually took the sting out of the opposition with long racking kicks.

In addition to all this Rochford were forced to play a quarter of the match with 14 men due to yellow card offences which did not make their task any easier but it was one of those days when the team just dug deep and got on with it.

5 – 3 at the break and the second half was much of the same as both teams slugged it out with some fearful tackling and aggressive forward drives. Rochford for the most part were better at this on the day where the likes of Ross Murphy, Greg Whight, Tom Corbet, Scott Horsburgh and all the other forwards were so impressive.

The front row of Mark, Chivers and Wiseman were splendid in providing the anchor which allowed the rest of the pack to perform.

Scrum half Dan Bracknell was for ever at the thick of things and kept the ball moving out for Ashton, Sam Edwards, Craig Webb and later Stewart and Stemp to all have good runs under difficult circumstances.

It was Bracknell, late in this enthralling match, that got the breakthrough from a loose maul, collecting the ball and speeding along the touchline and cutting in to score under the posts.

For once Tom Ashton’s kick was unable to convert the try as the ball hit the upright but at 10 – 3 all the home side needed to do was close the game down and see out the final few minutes. With Rochford it is never that simple as Saffron threw everything at them and applied some intense pressure play on the home team’s line and drove over a couple of times only to be ruled that the ball was held up and once again Rochford had to show that strength of character they have to keep their determined opposition at bay.

They did so and the final whistle must have sounded very sweet when it came and a relieved but well deserving Rochford celebrated a very pleasing result. Saffron had to be satisfied with a losing bonus point which could be crucial at the end of the season.