Lowestoft & Yarmouth 32, Billericay 10AFTER last week's dire performance at Beccles, L&Y got back to winning ways with a confident 15-man home display.

Lowestoft & Yarmouth 32, Billericay 10

AFTER last week's dire performance at Beccles, L&Y got back to winning ways with a confident 15-man home display.

The visitors' big pack got little change out of the L&Y eight who all upped their performance and dominated the set-pieces and breakdowns.

A great start and two scoring spells just before and after half-time took L&Y out of sight and the feisty Essex side didn't have the firepower to break back.

With Scott Nelson back in the centres and Josh Fewkes having a vastly-improved game at scrum half, Kiwi fly-half Chez Bloxham had the ball and confidence to take control of the game.

Some superb ball retention, quick ball and sharp passing stunned Billericay who conceded a penalty for Bloxham to convert after eight minutes. Five minutes later hooker Chris Howe, Nelson, Bloxham and Myles McAlone combined to put young winger Daniel Boardley diving into the corner for a spectacular first try.

Billericay suddenly produced something out of nothing for a converted try, then forced a penalty.

After stern words and the replacement of the injured Howe with Jake Titterington in the front row, L&Y produced a massive scrummage to produce a penalty on halfway. Bloxham kicked to the corner where Russ Wilkinson took a clean catch and the forwards drove for the line. The defence all covered the open side and Fewkes had a clear run around the blindside for a simple try.

Just before the break, Nelson stole a turnover in midfield, and Fewkes kicked high into the right- hand corner for the chasing Steve Adams and Matt Howell to cause havoc in the defence where Howell scooped the ball over the line, Bloxham converting.

The initial period of the second half was even, with flankers Steve Powles and Ben McElroy noticeable in the loose for L&Y. A long clearance from Billericay was taken beautifully on the run by full back and man-of-the-match McAlone, who set Bloxham jinking through the line and Boardley superbly finished wide out from

40 metres.

Within a few minutes Billericay's clearance kick ricocheted into McAlone's arms and he scorched through himself nearer the posts for Bloxham to convert. The final 20 minutes served to remind L&Y that every game they play in this league will be a tough, physical encounter.

Despite losing Simon Coleman to injury and his replacement Kristen Taylor-Crisp to the sin-bin, moving Powles to hooker and prop Richard Bristo back to lock, they continued to drive the scrums backwards and deny the visitors any consolation.

Team: Nixon, Howe, Bristo, Coleman, Wilkinson, Powles, McElroy, Thomas (capt), Fewkes, Bloxham, Howell, Nelson, Adams, Boardley, McAlone. Bench: Castleton (dnp), Taylor-Crisp (on for Coleman), Titterington (on for Howe).