CLACTON 20

BILLERICAY 27

Essex President’s Shield

DESPITE a battling display, Clacton bowed out of the Essex President’s Shield at the first hurdle on Saturday.

Details of the match were not received by the club until lunchtime on Monday, so some urgent phone calls were required to get the necessary arrangements made.

Nevertheless, the match got under way with the experienced visitors well in command against a youthful home side.

An early converted try and a penalty put Billericay in the driving seat before an Elliott Shuttleworth penalty got the Seasiders on the scoreboard. However, the only other score in the first half was a Billericay penalty on the half-hour mark and the teams turned round with the visitors leading 13-3.

Clacton were reduced to 14 men for ten minutes shortly after the restart and another converted try for Billericay might have signalled a collapse.

However, the score seemed to fire-up the home side and an excellent individual try under the posts by James Garrod, coupled with Shuttleworth’s conversion, brought the difference back to ten points.

With the bit between their teeth, Clacton applied some pressure on the visitors and a fine cross-field move between the hands saw Dave Hitchin cross the line on 60 minutes.

Once again, the excellent kicking of Shuttleworth added the conversion points and made the score 20-17.

Both sides sensed they could win the game and it was the boot of Shuttleworth that drew the scores level with ten minutes to go.

The touchline discussions then moved to what would happen if the scores stayed level.

It would have meant 20 minutes of extra-time, before tries scored and completed conversions came into the equation.

However, the Billericay pack exerted some tremendous pressure on their Clacton counterparts in the closing minutes.

Twice the Seasiders managed to hold the ball up for a five-metre scrum, but, on the third occasion, the visitors’ forwards rumbled over the line and this time managed to get the ball down.

The successful conversion turned out to be the last kick of the game and meant Billericay were worthy winners, 27-20. They now travel to East London in the next round.

Clacton’s first team now have a week off before facing Writtle Wanderers on February 20, so it will just be the Kestrels in action this coming Saturday.

They play host to Stowmarket’s third team in an Eastern Counties League fixture. Kick-off at Vista Road is 2.30pm.