Thurrock 39, Southend 36

THURROCK v Southend matches are usually tight, close affairs. Sometimes they are prosaic with a late penalty deciding the outcome, but this encounter was magical and one of the most entertaining games ever witnessed at Oakfield.

Harry Houdini, the great escapologist, magician and stuntman would have been proud of the way that Thurrock extricated themselves from an almost impossible set of circumstances to complete one of their finest victories over the 'old enemy' and 'send them eastwards to think again'.

Veteran player, groundsman and headteacher, Graham Morris, mentioned recently that he was enjoying watching Thurrock's performances on Youtube so much that the quality of rugby was preferable. If you had watched Wales against England later that day in a dreary contest of 'box kicking', you would have to agree with the sage!

Especially if you had paid £120 a ticket to sit behind a floppy daffodil!

Southend, formed in 1870, is one of the world's oldest clubs and for more than a century had a fixture list featuring some of the country's elite teams. Indeed the brown of the Harlequins shirts has been taken from Southend.

It was only the advent of cup rugby and subsequent leagues that allowed developing teams like Thurrock to have a tilt at the elite.

For more than 50 years the rivalry has been fierce and this latest encounter confirmed the trend that it will continue for the foreseeable future.

Thurrock were forced to make the inevitable changes with the absence of Tani Loka allowing the versatile James Rodger another opportunity to display his credentials. Tom Wileman resumed at prop; Dan Ulph reverted to hooker in place of the ever- impressive Lawrence Brown. Louis Tricio came in to add real power to the back row while Harry Clarke, after last week's storming debut, featured on the bench alongside Anthony Catchpole who embodies Thurrock's team spirit and raison d'être.

Every team needs at least two outstanding scrum-halves and this game was to demonstrate how Eddie Stevens and Alex Jones complement each other so well.

Thurrock kicked off on a bright winter's afternoon with a stiff north-easterly wind at their backs. The home side came out of the blocks with such velocity that Southend were caught cold. As soon as the ball had been retrieved the Thurrock pack charged at their opponents like an obstinacy of buffalo. Irresistible carrying by Wileman, Antrobus, Ulph, Rodger and Tricio must have brought a smile to forwards coaches Dave Stevens and Dave Catchpole and the fast start they had demanded.

With this early pressure, a score seemed imminent and as a loose pass ricocheted off a Thurrock foot, the ever alert Ed Stevens was the first to react and seized the touch down. The dependable Rhys Cotter gauged the wind to complete the goal.

Caolan Watts-Adams is having a prolific season and with the tour de force which is Jay Jennings, he reigns supreme in the line-out! A superb piece of athleticism meant that he towered above the Southend locks to set up a driving maul, leaving ex Campion team-mate, Dan Ulph to power over a la Jamie George.

Cotter completed the extras with an outstanding kick across the strengthening wind.

Thurrock now went into something of a mid-match crisis as Southend launched their first attack and a rolling maul brought its just desserts for McVeigh to convert.

This led to a momentum swing and the Seasiders capitalised by converting a scrum penalty before somehow manufacturing a five man overlap to take an unlikely lead after their earlier travails.

Enter centre stage Niall Clifford and Henry Bird! This partnership has been tearing up this league all season. Their sheer tenacity and telepathic understanding have been the fulcrum at the heart of Thurrock's renaissance this season. Coupled with Ben Timson's leadership and desire for success, this has proved the recipe for sustained improvement.

Clifford took matters into his own hands with a long, single-minded attack down the right touchline, just failing to find Rob Murphy on his inside. Nevertheless, the field position and from the resulting scrum Ed Stevens stole the ball, Clifford broke free and found Watts-Adams who produced a clever one-handed off-load to send Harry Reynolds in for a delightful try.

With Dan Stone pulling the strings as well as highly visible attempts to rip the ball from the opposition's grasp (not usually in a fly-half's job description) Thurrock seemed set fair especially after some fine jackalling by Tricio and Antrobus!

However, fortunes were about to be reversed again in this roller-coaster of a game. A quick tap penalty left the home side "all at sea" as the visitors scuttled over just before half-time.

With the cold breeze behind them Ray Davies would have placed Southend as 5/4 favourites to go on and complete the double in the second half.

The substantial advantage of the wind seemed likely to determine the outcome as Southend gained the early territorial advantage. Only the magnificent line-out work of Jennings and Watts-Adams and the tackle count spearheaded by Timson, Bird and Clifford denied Southend.

These heroics seemed to galvanise Thurrock and Alex Jones was brought on to manage what had become a "sturm und drang" of a game!

A peach of a pass from Dan Stone and an exquisite angle from Henry Bird delivered the line break to set Tricio free. With the try line agonisingly close, the substantial flanker left the voracious Murphy clear to add to his tally.

A delicious dummy and surging run from Niall Clifford had the crowd purring and the referee crestfallen as he fell down unopposed! Anthony Catchpole entered the fray. Catchpole's enthusiasm has captured the mood and he was soon in the frontline with the bolter, Harry Clarke.

The intense rivalry between these teams dragged the contest into a frenetic affair with the outcome looking increasingly uncertain. A proliferation of yellow cards followed the referee's denouement and, simply, added to the drama!

Aaron Antrobus, who was having fine game, rolled around the edge of a maul, finding the ubiquitous Clifford in support alongside that great poacher Timson on his shoulder.

With Rhys Cotter timing a dummy and accelerating out of danger, according to the splendid Gabriella Diana, Thurrock seemed "home and dry"! However, with the typical commentator's malediction, a proliferation of sin bin offences meant the Oakfielders made themselves vulnerable to the most outrageous of collapses.

In unbelievable fashion, Thurrock were left with a skeleton staff of 12 to defend a slender lead!

With the odds now stacked against them, the thin line produced defence of Rorke's Drift proportions as wave after wave of attacks were repelled, before the lead was reduced.

Alex Jones managed the final stages with the calm assurance that befits his experience.

A dropped ball, a timely trip from Watts-Adams and a series of penalties gave Thurrock' s depleted forces a chance. Henry Bird attempted a drop goal fifty years too late, but knew that a penalty was coming and that he was about to score the clinching try as he powered around the blind-side from a fine piece of perception from Jones.

Some people thought it was all over, but a quick riposte saw Southend get another converted try with one last play to follow!

As Southend tried to run clear from their own half, Niall Clifford intercepted and a grateful Alex Jones kicked the ball off, slightly better than Tani Loka's effort last season, to end a memorable game.

This highly entertaining game had it all from spectacular tries to ever- changing fortunes. Whenever Harry Houdini found himself in almost impossible situations, he always managed to escape. Thurrock seem to have discovered the same secrets.

Next week sees Thurrock at home in yet another local derby against neighbours, Brentwood.