WHEN Clacton and Cantabrigian met in Cambridge last October, Cantabrigian ran in 18 tries.

It was therefore with some trepidation that Clacton played host to the London League division three north east second-placed club on Saturday.

However, the final outcome was an improvement that bodes well for the rest of the season.

The Vista Road pitch, although slightly heavy given all the recent rain, was in excellent condition but the pleasant winter sunshine did little to mask the chilling breeze.

The opening half was fairly even, although Cantabrigian opened the scoring with a penalty in the fifth minute when the hosts were caught offside.

That lead was extended with a try and conversion after a quarter of an hour, but the score remained 10-0.

It was not until the last kick of the half that Cantabs increased it with a second penalty.

Clacton had kept themselves in the game and, with a modicum of fortune, they could have scored on at least a couple of occasions.

Nevertheless, turning round with just a 13-0 deficit showed a vast improvement.

Unfortunately, three tries in the opening 13 minutes of the second half turned the scoreline to 32-0 and some damage limitation was required.

James Baldock gave the home supporters something to cheer about when he pulled a try back, but the visitors responded with a fifth try and it was 39-5 with still 20 minutes to go.

Some excellent defensive work by a tiring Clacton side restricted the visitors to just three more tries and a final score of 56-5.

Despite the score, and with relegation virtually certain, this was still a promising and positive display for the Vista Road club.

A third of the side – James Baldock, Rory Butcher, Josh Byford, Tom Cox, George Johnson and Gokul Rajeev – were aged 19 or under and they will all hopefully take the experience of this season and re-group for next.

Certainly playing with the experience of Simon Anderson, Richard Blanes, Jake and Ben Buxey, Tyler Fitzpatrick, Shane Jerram, Dave Hitchin and Jon Vine will do them no harm at all and it is hoped the seniors will nurse things through the final eight matches of the season.

A special feature of the game was the refereeing display by Martyn Wood.

The ex-Bath and Wasps scrum-half has taken up the whistle and is rapidly moving up through the ranks.

He allowed the game to flow, the penalty count was low and there were no cards displayed. He certainly contributed to the afternoon.

Saturday sees a break in league fixtures, but Clacton have a Suffolk Cup date with neighbours Harwich & Dovercourt. Kick-off at Low Road is 2pm.