Beccles 24, Basildon 10Beccles stayed top of London Division 3 NE with a hard-fought win.It was Beccles who scored first when the forwards won a line-out and drove in to the opposition half and Sale broke down the blindside and chipped ahead.

Beccles 24, Basildon 10

Beccles stayed top of London Division 3 NE with a hard-fought win.

It was Beccles who scored first when the forwards won a line-out and drove in to the opposition half and Sale broke down the blindside and chipped ahead. The Basildon full-back came across to cover but spilled the ball and Sale was able to pick up and touch down in the corner. Wade added a long range conversion.

Beccles were on top now and scored the next try with the best move of the game. Rowney collected a Basildon clearance kick and broke down the touch line. He flicked a reverse pass inside to Hoffman who in turn fed Hinsley.

Musker McIntyre man-of-the-match Hinsley then timed his pass to perfection to put Rob Wilson in the clear to score, with Wade adding the conversion. Basildon came back with a penalty but Wade replied with a penalty of his own which made the half-time score 17-3.

Basildon had the hosts under pressure for long periods in the second half and the Beccles defence had to be at its best to keep them out.

Beccles held out for a long time but eventually they conceded a penalty try. They had been down to 14 men at the time, with Hinsley in the sin bin for hands in the ruck. Soon after Hinsley returned to the pitch Lake was sent to the sin bin for the same offence. Beccles were able to play their way out of defence and get in to the opposition's half. The forwards drove the ball towards the line and Sale peeled off and scored.

Beccles Dolphins 26, Southwold II 11

BECCLES Dolphins continued their unbeaten form and stayed top of the table, beating a difficult Southwold side.

A series of penalties against Beccles proved to be costly, as Southwold took an early 3-0 lead. Beccles did not improve, and allowed Southwold to have clean ball at the break down.

A tap-and-go penalty close to the Beccles try line gave Southwold the opportunity they needed to score the first try of the game.

Another penalty soon after made the gap even larger. It was at this point that Beccles started to switch on. Good line-out balls supplied from Hewitt and Goode gave Scotchmer a platform to distribute well, and Durak and Calver made the most of the opportunities given to them and gained crucial ground into the opposition's half. However, Beccles could not capitalise on poor defending and at the end of the first half the score remained Beccles 0, Southwold 11.

A rejuvenated Beccles side started the second half with a different attitude. The forwards began to carry well, with Giddings and Townsend leading the way. This early pressure soon created gaps in the Southwold defence and allowed Dyer to score a try down the line.

Durak soon added a try of his own to regain the lead for the home side. A well-planned dummy switch between Hawkes and Durak created space for Calver to score his sixth try in as many games. Ten minutes before the end of the game, Hawkes capped off a good win with a clever individual run, side-stepping three of his opponents and scoring under the posts.

This game was one that Beccles needed in order to prepare for a tough game against West Norfolk II at Beef Meadow on Saturday.