Colchester Rugby Club started the new London League division one north campaign with a narrow 15-14 defeat at the hands of Eton Manor.

Their season opener was a cracker that fizzed to the final whistle with Colchester losing by the narrowest of margins – inches in the case of the final kick of the game that edged close to the posts.

A close game was expected as Eton Manor finished second in the league to Colchester’s third last season.

Two Colchester yellow cards enabled Eton Manor to profit from their temporary player advantage to score two tries, while four narrowly missed penalty kicks could have given Colchester a comfortable win.

Positives for Colchester came from debutants wing David Brennan, scoring a brace of tries, and a confident performance from scrum-half Matt Wadling and hooker Joe Overton.

For a full report and pictures, see Tuesday's Daily Gazette.