Thurrock 30 Harlow 5

London Three North East League

With Skipper Paul Eynon still nursing a groin strain and with the Rams persisting with their policy to select the youngsters who are likely to be playing First XV rugby next season, Lee Harron was on the bench for the first 60 minutes of the match. Harlow’s half back pairing of Charlie Woodington and James McFerran improves every week as do youngsters Sam Cootes , Luke Bowering and his brother Mark Bowering . Rob Mackie , now recovered from his broken leg started the match and played well pulling off some fine try saving tackles. With the three youngsters in the under 21 age bracket and Mackie only twenty two, Harlow will be better placed at the beginning of the 2009/10 season On Saturday at Thurrock the Rams were on the defensive from the start and after five minutes the home side opened the scoring with a penalty. Harlow defended well for the next twenty minutes but eventually conceded a try from Marc Chandler the Thurrock flanker who scored out wide. Scrum half Aaron Burns was in fine kicking form and converted the try. Thurrock continued to pressurise the visitors and with the wind behind them kept the ball in Harlow’s territory. The Harlow pack did well in the set pieces again and wheeled the Thurrock scrummage several times to win possession. But it was Thurrock who broke away again before halftime to score a second converted try, .their prop, Dave Stevens, doing the damage. Sam Cootes came on for Harlow in place of Mark Bowering at half time and Harlow started the second half trailing by twenty points. The home side extended their lead with an unconverted try after five minutes scored by their winger Sam Porter and went further ahead with another try when their other winger Earl Gorman scored out wide. McFerran went off with a shoulder injury and Lee Harron came on at fly half . The last twenty minutes saw the Rams attacking and they spent fifteen minutes in the Thurrock twenty two. Tom Webb replaced Prindiville with ten minutes left and the Harlow pressure forced Thurrock to give away four penalties in succession. Eventually the defence crumbled and Harron went for the line passing to Chris Webb as he was tackled. Webb went over to record a well deserved try.

Tries: Chris Webb

Team List

1 -  James Ephgrave

2 -  Stuart Wilkins
3 -  Paul Prindiville  (Sub 55 mins Tom Webb )
4 -  Darren Hawkins  

5 -  Kerry Palmer
6 -  Mark Bowering (Sub 65 mins )  
7 -  Wayne Morgan
8 -  Shaun Roberts

9 -  Charlie Woodington

10 - James McFerran  (Sub 55 mins Lee Harron)

11 - Chris Webb  
12 -  Simon Vanbeck

13 - Luke Bowering  
14 - Will Grimley  
15 - Rob Mackie

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