Hackney RFC 24, Hatfield nil

HACKNEY went third in the Herts-Middlesex Div 3 after notching a commanding win over Hatfield at Spring Hill on Saturday.

The Mid Herts side had made a decent start to the campaign themselves and came to Hackney full of confidence and enjoyed more than their fair share of possession.

But all the hard work the Griffins have been putting in on the training pitch in recent weeks is beginning to pay dividends.

Passes that were being dropped a month or so ago are now sticking and the scores are mounting up.

Flanker Ben Chamberlain led the way with two of Hackney's three tries in the opening 20 minutes that really set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Australian number eight Jonathan Tully added the other and the boot of James Hardwick landed the goal points for two of the trio of tries.

Hatfield's predicament got worse as they lost one of their players with a shoulder injury following a heavy tackle.

The stoppage in play seem to halt Hackney's momentum and they couldn't add to their score before the interval.

The second-half didn't match the promise of the first 40 minutes and became something of a scrappy affair.

Hardwick missed with another penalty attempt, but the half did have a highlight when Hackney's Shaun Collins scored his first try for the club on his home debut.

The Griffins were disappointed not to add to their tally, but their defence was outstanding in not allowing their Herts opponents any leeway to maintain a clean sheet.

HACKNEY: Robinson, Bates, Clemens-Lary, Hart, Young, Chamberlain, Cartwright, Tully, Fanning, Moore, Hardwick, Collins, Armstrong, Wilson, Davies. Replacements: Keely, Grieves, Pentecost, Hernandez.