In one way or another, three of our senior games this weekend were dominated by their respective referees. The Ravens arrived at Thurrock to discover that they didn't have a referee. The A XV had a referee but lost him after 65 minutes with an injury!

Our 1st XV went to Amersham & Chiltern knowing that the home side would be smarting from an unexpected, but comprehensive, defeat at Ruislip last weekend. Amersham are an ambitious side and they fielded a very different 18 to the side that capitulated at Mill Road earlier this season. Their forwards were definitely more physical this time around and their backs, to their credit, made the best of their limited possession.

The Colchester XV included two key changes to the side that finished the game against Old Haberdashers. With Alex Mitchell unavailable due to work commitments, Toby Hill was drafted into the side at prop. Although experienced in most forward positions, Toby has had very little game time at prop, but this didn't stop him from putting in a superb shift. He carried the ball well, maintained a good tackle count and alongside James Mitchell, Dan Brennan and later Tom Dales, scrummaged aggressively. It was a breakout performance from Toby and one that has really put down a marker for the rest of the season.

The second change came in the centre - with Tom Dufficy unavailable we were able to give 18 year-old Sol Hyde his 1st XV debut at outside centre. Sol adapted superbly to the pressure and physicality of senior rugby, in fact his physicality emerged as a real strength as he put in several thumping tackles on the Amersham back line within the first quarter of the game. From that point on they decided to look for other avenues of attack and avoid his channel at all costs! Sol also showed some excellent skills, releasing runners with the odd deft tip on or off load. Such was the impact of his performance Sol was our unanimous choice for the Man of the Match Award. It's not fair to heap too much pressure on Sol, but it has to be said that he slotted into the back line magnificently and looks to have an extremely bright future in the game; we look forward to seeing more of him in the weeks to come.

Another player who deserves a special mention is Tom Dales. Tom was drafted into the 1st XV this week to cover our front row 'crisis' and thirty minutes into the first half he was called into action to replace the injured Dan Brennan. Unfortunately, Dan was forced to leave the field with a wrist and knee injury after taking a couple of real hefty collisions with Amersham forwards. Tom rolled back the years (sorry Tom!) and put in a monumental effort of total commitment to help carry the side through to a bonus point win. Tom hit every single line out and helped maintain the scrummaging tempo that has been such a feature of our games this season. Everyone who knows him knows that Tom is a great clubman and his no-nonsense approach to the game was just what was needed in these circumstances.

The scoreline at half time could suggest that the game was pretty tight, but in truth we had several opportunities to wrap up at least one bonus point in the first half. If passes had been a little more measured and gaps exploited we would have gone into the break at least four tries to the good, but the reality was slightly different as the home side scored an opportunistic try on the stroke of half time. You have to give Amersham credit, they have some dangerous runners and when they saw an opportunity they went for it, but our defence, typified by debutant Sol Hyde, was pretty much dominant for the entire game.

At times our XV put together some glorious, flowing rugby. Matt Wadling had another excellent game. Wadling has a knack for spotting an opening and he has a natural inclination to up the tempo and strike at the right time. Although not in his usual position, Brett Cutbush was once again a class act at fly-half. Brett's ability to work with Wadling and exploit openings with 'head's up rugby' is second to none. This combination is working well and when everything comes together we are privileged to see some great running rugby.

In between the flashes of Colchester brilliance, the game was somewhat staccato, so it was difficult for either side to build momentum and post a substantial score. Play was punctuated by some truculent encounters and the occasional intervention from the match referee. Amersham competed with determination in every aspect of the game, but it always appeared that we had the game and personnel to handle anything the home side could throw in our direction. The scoreline was a fair reflection of the action and our workmanlike performance was worthy of a bonus point win. I am sure that Amersham's supporters will feel somewhat aggrieved, but the simple truth is their forwards could not secure sufficient possession in attacking positions to unleash their undoubtedly dangerous and pacy backline.

There are just four games remaining of the scheduled season and the mathematics indicate that Rochford are pretty much guaranteed to secure the London North 1 Championship. This means that we are fighting for the runner-up spot and a chance to compete in a season finale play-off against the second place side in London South 1. The situation in the South has changed again this week because Camberley managed to beat Sevenoaks and Medway and Brighton also picked up bonus point wins. These results mean that Medway are back at the top of the league for the fourth time this season, but the chasing pack of Camberley, Brighton and Sevenoaks are all tied for second spot. One point separates the top four sides! This league is so tight that it looks almost impossible to call; looking at the fixtures I am convinced it will all hinge on the final weekend of the season. Our target is clear - there are 4 games remaining and twenty points up for grabs. If we win all our games and collect four bonus points the play-off place is ours. Without being too presumptuous, the play-off will take place on Saturday 27th April - there is no complacency in our camp, we are focused on the remaining four games and there is a real determination to get the job done.

There is no 1st XV match this coming weekend. The next 1st XV game is at Mill Road on Saturday 23rd March and local rivals Southend Saxons are the visitors. It will be a big lunch and a big crowd so please come along and support the boys.

For a variety of reasons, the senior section were struggling for numbers this weekend. A number of our front row forwards were either unavailable or injured and most of our sides travelled with very little in the way of cover or substitutes. The Ravens were forced to send some players up to the 1st XV, so in turn they drafted in some willing volunteers from Essex University and crucially the A XV sacrificed some of their key players so our 2's could fulfil their final scheduled fixture of the season at Thurrock. Interestingly, when the Ravens arrived at Oakfield they were faced with a game minus a referee! This is never a good start! The home side addressed this oversight by asking one of their players to officiate the game.

The game itself ended in defeat for our brave Ravens, but the fact that they were able to fulfil the game in such difficult circumstances was a victory in itself. In fact, with just 10 minutes to go, the Ravens took the lead thanks to an incredible 50 yard run and try from second row Rory Miller, leaving 5 defenders in his wake. The Man of the Match for the Ravens was Matthew Parker - Matt capped his first run out for the Ravens this season with a superb individual try from 70 yards out. The performance was far more important than the result. The Ravens travelled with an improvised side assembled under very difficult circumstances and led by club legend Adam Cook, put in a stunning display.

The A XV narrowly lost out to Newmarket. Unfortunately, the game had to be brought to a premature conclusion when the referee was helped off the filed with a serious injury. Under these circumstances the score was recorded as the final result because the game went past the 60 minute mark. This was really tough on our A's because the scoreline was pretty tight and there was every chance they could have staged a late comeback.

Despite the fact that only one of our senior sides managed to record a victory this weekend, we have to look at the positives. We managed to field four sides under very difficult circumstances due to injuries/availability issues and I am also aware than some of our Roundheads also made the short journey to Mistley to help them fulfil a fixture - that's the true spirit of rugby and something we can be proud of.