Thurrock 10, London Cornish 22

THURROCK faced their nemesis, London Cornish, on Saturday at Oakfield and once again succumbed to a disappointing defeat.

With three games at home and a Vice Presidents' Dinner, the scene was set for a good performance from the home side.

In spite of the ravages of Storm Jorge, the groundsmen, led by Clive Beynon, had worked wonders to make the pitch just about playable.

Captain Charlie Russo won the toss and elected to play into the wind.

It soon became apparent that any sort of traction or free-flowing action was going to be pretty difficult in the conditions.

Cornish coach, Dicon Moon, had come with a simple but effective game plan and one which would see them, ultimately triumph. With No. 8 James le Broy carrying well and half-backs, Daniel Phoenix and George Kimmings controlling proceedings, Cornish got off to a fine start.

Thurrock seemed to get stranded in the thick, cloying mud while the Cornishmen revelled in it.

Nevertheless, Thurrock came close to breaking the deadlock, before full-back Jake Barrand was caught in a ruck. Phoenix spotted the opportunity and, after a sharp kick ahead, winger Hakes, accelerated through the quagmire to beat the retreating defence. Phoenix added the extras.

This seemed to spark Thurrock into action and after a period of pressure, a swift retort was rewarded with a Jake Barrand penalty.

London Cornish quickly set up camp in the Thurrock half and, after an unfortunate infringement, Phoenix kicked a penalty.

Shortly after Cornish gained the upper hand again with captain Edward Carne leading the charge. The Singapore Sevens international was carrying with real venom and constantly put Thurrock on the back foot.

Thurrock seemed bereft of real energy and, just when a score seemed imminent ,a Thurrock player knocked on or was penalised for an innocuous mistake! Just as a home score seemed likely ,a sharp shrill of the whistle heralded yet another faux pas and loss of momentum.

In spite of the exhortations of the vast home support, Thurrock struggled to impose any sort of authority on the game and it was London Cornish who extended their deserved lead.

At the end of the half Thurrock made some headway from the returning Henry Bird and Russo, who was always at the heart of the action. Sadly another opportunity went a begging and the Wimbledon-based outfit finished the half with their line and lead intact.

From the outset of the second period, Thurrock threw everything into the attack. Stern words from coach Martin Jones were having an effect and Dan Stone at 10 began organising a shorter,more controlled steategy. Nevertheless, the errors continued and the freezing wind led to two dropped passes on the opposition line. Eventually a quick miss pass and good continuity put debutant, Callum Pluck in at the corner. With the storm at a peak, Barrand's conversion attempt flew across the face of the posts.

London Cornish were not to be denied,however and, after a series of forward drives, le Broy was at the helm to increase their lead.

London Cornish continued to dominate and despite a late rally and a try for Kye Holloway, they were always in control.

This was a disappointment for Thurrock and their fans. In recent weeks their "roller-coaster" season has gone from the zenith of outstanding victories against table-toppers Havant and high-flying Horsham, to the nadir of losses they are currently experiencing.

All this reinforces the belief that this is such a highly competitive league in which all teams are capable of success, regardless of the opposition.

The truncated Six Nations continues next week and Thurrock can look forward to a brief rest and, hopefully, the return of a few more players after injury.