By JOHN TROUP

BRAINTREE Rugby Club head coach Jamie Clarke hailed his team’s 34-22 win at Kings Cross Steelers as their best so far this season in London League division three Essex.

A hat-trick of second-half tries from Joe Meade helped ease the Black and Ambers to victory in a tight contest against a Steelers side that had been in good form.

Clarke said: “I thought this was our best result of the season to date.

“We had seven players under the age of 20, and to win convincingly away to a side above us in the league on a run of six successive wins was fantastic to see.

“I was proud of all the players but especially the younger ones who really stepped up to the mark.

“We scored some fantastic tries by sticking to an expansive game plan that was executed very well.”

Meade’s performance earned him the Colebrook offshore man of the match award.

The win took Braintree back up into the top four in the table as they leapfrogged their hosts with five games remaining.

Braintree chairman of selectors David Gilder added: “We needed a win to avoid slipping down the table and in fact the win lifted us above the Steelers back to fourth.

“We travelled away with a young side but they acquitted themselves well. Scrums and line-outs both worked well.

“With the ball in the hands of an exciting back line our reward was six well-taken tries, again showing we can run in tries against any defence in this league.”

Braintree have no game this weekend but return to London League division three Essex action on March 2 when they travel to Ilford Wanderers.