Colchester sent a clear message to their league rivals that they are the side to beat this season as they racked up one point short of a century in a remarkable defeat of Essex rivals Southend.

The Saxons had started the day top of the table, making the 99-28 win still more extraordinary, and it’s debatable whether the home or away fans were more gobsmacked at the final whistle.

“Scoring 99 points at home is awesome,” said head coach Mike Haywood. “A really positive performance which is all down to the guys’ hard work and graft.”

The match between the teams first and second in Regional 1 South East was rightly billed as a crunch encounter.

Southend took an early lead but the game was quickly over as a contest as Colchester scored the first of 15 tries in reply, ten in a whirlwind first half.

The hosts opted for a super-fast attacking game and Southend simply could not live with it.
Gabe Jones crossed for the opening Colchester try, the first of his 12 conversions leading to a personal tally of 29 points in the game.

Two minutes later, Louis Martin dotted down, and with the hosts given all the space in the world on the right flank, Cam Kerr’s break led to Sean Bundy scoring Colchester’s third.
Ted Reid, starting at blindside, brought up the bonus point inside 17 minutes and Bundy had his second three minutes later.

Danny Whiteman continued his metronomic scoring record after more terrific work down the right before Connor O’Reilly added a seventh four minutes later.

To say Southend looked shellshocked is an understatement, but to their credit they crossed for their second try just before the hour.

It was the briefest of respite as a relentless, ruthless Colchester scored three more before the interval, Martin with his second, then Fin McCartney and the lively Reid crossing.
Southend, trailing 66-14, could have been forgiven for opting to remain in the changing rooms at the break. But there was more agony to come.

Centre Matt Williams crossed two minutes after the restart and Bundy scored his eighth try of the season to complete his hat-trick, speeding over fully from half-way.

Colchester were in no mood to let up. Replacement Francois Rossouw got in on the act before front row colleague Leroy O’Neil scored the 14th try just past the hour.

A century of points looked odds-on, but O’Reilly’s second turned out to be Colchester’s final flourish.

Southend had the last word with two late tries to secure a bonus point when Colchester were down to 13 men, with Haydn Sykes in the bin and Jones off the pitch receiving treatment.

The win takes Colchester three points clear at the top of the table ahead of Saturday’s visit to bottom club Old Northamptonians.

“We’re the team everyone wants to beat, having come down from Nat 2, and there’s an expectation on us to get promoted,” said Haywood.

“We’ve got a young, talented group who want to get better and better. And they’ve got loads more in them.”

Bundy took the player-of-the-match award from sponsors Whitehall while Reid won the coaches’ award, courtesy of the Lexden Crown.

The Ravens banked two losing bonus points in a 39-34 defeat at Saffron Walden, the As beat Braintree 2s 51-28 and the Cavaliers lost 45-0 at Brightlingsea.