Upper Clapton 113 Runwell Wyverns 7

Upper Clapton 1st XV commenced their Essex 2 league campaign on Saturday with an emphatic victory against Runwell Wyverns. The tough pre-season and pre-league friendlies paying dividends as Clapton simply ran their opponents off the park. Clapton's greater organisation, tempo and youthful enthusiasm was evident from the start of the game and this was sustained right to the end when Olly Stokes crashed over for the last score in the dying seconds.

Overall Clapton can be pleased with this start to the league. However, there is a need to keep our feet firmly on the ground and realise that we have played one league game and have 17 to go. While we have set a benchmark with the standard of play that we aspire to, there are 9 other sides in Essex 2 that will no doubt have a say in our future progres this year.

Outstanding performers upfront were Tom Procel in the 2nd Row, the ever green Richard Jones and our dynamic Captain Lee Garwood. James Hack and Matt Thompson were simply sublime out wide and between them they scored 78 of our points.

Next week we are away to Kings Cross Steelers at East London.

Points Scorers:

James Hack x 6 tries, Matt Thompson x 4 tries, Tom Roberts x 2 tries, Lee Garwood x 2 tries, Oliver Stokes x 1 try, Liam Hunt x 1 try, Pablo Beccera x 1 try.

Matt Thompson x 14 Conversions.

Team:

1 Dorling, 2 Beccera, 3 Trevillion, 4 Procel, 5 Mcfarlane, 6 Howell, 7 Jones, 8 Garwood (Capt), 9 Hack, 10 Winkworth, 11 T.Sweeney, 12 Stokes (V-Capt), 13 Tindall, 14 Day, 15 Thompson.

16 Brown, 17 L.Hunt, 18 Roberts.