Rams ……………………33 Blackheath …………25
A FABULOUS second-half fightback helped Rams keep their title hopes alive.
The visitors were 10-0 up inside six minutes as Tom Ffitch slotted an early penalty, before superbly converting Jake Lloyd's try. Rams replied when Dan Swain stretched under the posts following a break from James McRae.
Fraser Honey slotted the extras, but it was Club who were dominant in the opening quarter, adding further scores from Jake Hennessey – immediately from the restart – and Noah Sloot.
Rams gained a foothold in the contest during a scoreless second half, but they cut the gap three minutes after the break as Charlie Robson charged forward, before McRae sent Ollie Monye in for a converted try.
The precocious Robson then danced past three to touch down, Honey's conversion nudging the hosts a point in front, and with 13 minutes remaining, Ellis Jones cut a lovely line to secure the bonus-point for his team.
Blackheath came again, though, former Ram Paul Schroter going over from a maul, but the hosts responded as a terrific carry and offload from Jones freed Zach Clow to settle any lingering nerves among a sizable home crowd.
TEAMS
RAMS: Makepeace-Cubitt, Clow, Jones, Grundy, Robson, Honey, Monye, Harris, Hayman, Lomas, C Stapley, Swain, Scott, Atkins, McRae Replacements: Marris, Baker, Hoyt, Rossiter, Hoadley BLACKHEATH: Hennessy, Lloyd, Burcham, Cooke, Fielding, Ffitch, Daly, Davis, Harding, Holland, Everard, Stradwick, Taylor, Sloot, Baldwin Replacements: Walliker, Boye, Schroter, Denham, Clark-Leonard
REFEREE: Ben Rayner ATTENDANCE: 987
Star man
Dan Swain -Rams
