Woodford Under-14s reached the the last eight of the Essex Cup after a 12-0 win over higher division Harlow.
The eventual victors opened the scoring when they put in a push that gave them clean ball which they elected to run virtually the length of the pitch to the left, with Henry Sharland outpacing the defence to score in the corner. Alex Marks' attempted conversion fell short.
A couple of strong tackles in the middle of the field by Anthony Hamilton saw the ball turned over to Woodford. Haaris Sohoye made a half break and fed Will Carey who, with half the pitch left to run, turned on the pace to beat the cover defence and score under the posts, with Marks adding the extra two points.
Harlow threw everything at their opponents after the break but strong defence denied them the chance to get back in the tie.
A punch by Sharland saw him dismissed from the field by the referee but Woodford reorganised to face a final seven minute onslaught from Harlow.
The defence held firm to book a quarter-final clash with Burnham and coach Charles Wallace said: "The boys did really well to defend against a strong physical side. We should have made more of the opportunities we had but the tackling was top order."
Woodford B lost 50-7 to Old Dartfordians A& B. Bailey Francis scored the consolation try, with William Tindall converting.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article