RUGBY: THURROCK’s Under 17s second league game of the season saw the team travel to Upper Clapton, who sat third prior to the game. Although played on a glorious autumn morning Clapton’s pitch was soggy amd muddy and the encounter turned into a mud wrestling contest between between two strong packs.

Tees were on the front foot from the off and Clapton struggled to get any consistent ball in T’s half. With ten minutes left of the half T’s were able to put a worthwhile backs move together from the midfield.

Cam Daly made the line break and released Bobby Constantine down the left. Constantine brushed off the full back’s tackle and scampered into the left hand corner. Tees saw out the half to turn around five points up.

The second half quickly saw T’s back in the ascendancy and a muscular drive down the left saw Jake Collins just fail to find his support and Clapton cleared away.

The margin did change soon after though as a concerted drive by the pack – again down the left – saw Clapton have to concede the throw in 5m from their own line. T’s first effort was ushered into touch as was their second from the consequent line out – but at the price of a penalty against the defence. Joe Turp’s tap penalty went to John Huckstepp and his barreling drive was supported by the pack and saw him touchdown to double the lead, the conversion slid just wide to leave the score 10-0. From the restart T’s fell asleep and nobody claimed the kick off to allow Clapton’s paciest player skip through the backs to halve the lead. For the third time a conversion was missed, but Tees were now under severe pressure. Much of the remaining twenty minutes saw Tees having to battle in their own 22. Four times Clapton came to the line but were repulsed as the defence put their bodies on the line. Whether it was the bulky pack or the speed in the backs T’s managed to find the answer. Eventually T’s were rewarded with a penalty in front of their own sticks, which saw Daly find touch close to halfway. Although T’s managed to secure the consequent line out it took two efforts before Daly found touch again to secure the win.