Eton Manor edged to a 26-20 win over second-placed Colchester in London One North on Saturday.

The home side took the lead when the forwards drove on and Ben Thomas managed to cross the line for the opening try after just six minutes.

More pressure from Eton Manor resulted in a penalty for offside and Thomas kicked over the points to extend their lead.

The hosts were looking dangerous and Thomas continued his influential role with his second try when he raced through from 30 metres to touch down in the corner.

Colchester finally woke up after falling 13-0 behind but their initial attacks could not break down the home defence. Eton Manor again punished them after Colchester conceded another penalty and Thomas drilled over the kick with the half-time break approaching.

The visitors grabbed a lifeline before the break when their fly-half finished off a well-taken move to get them off the mark.

Colchester were caught offside at the start of the second half and Thomas kicked over the penalty to increase Manor’s lead to 19-5.

A Colchester forward was then sin-binned for throwing a punch.

But a decent spell from the away side resulted in a second try when their second row crossed the line and the conversion brought them within seven points.

Colchester were applying plenty of pressure on Manor and their number eight went over which meant the hosts only led 19-17 with time running out.

The visitors took the lead for the first time in the contest when Eton Manor gave away a penalty which handed Colchester an easy three points.

Eton Manor responded and they scored the all-important try when Alex Hunter released Chris Jones for the converted score.

The hosts survived the scare and closed the gap on their rivals in the table to just one point.