Colchester went down to Basildon in very difficult conditions.
The state of the ground, after days of rain and snow, meant the match was moved to one of the outlying pitches, and as the game kicked off the heavens opened.
Basildon had the benefit of the wind and icy rain at their backs, and straight away they forced Colchester into their own 22.
For the second week in a row the Colchester scrum was mercilessly pushed back, although James Nunn did a great job of tidying up for the All Blacks. But if Basildon ruled the scrums, then Colchester were dominant in the line-out.
Both sides were fielding debutant 18-year-old hookers, but where the Basildon number two found it nearly impossible to throw accurately in the conditions, Colchester's Stuart Bradley gave a near flawless performance, hitting his man time after time.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Tuesday, March 1, 2005
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