A late try from Ricky Neale was good enough to seal Ely Tigers’ first win of 2017 last weekend.

The player-coach crashed over in the dying minutes to give his side the edge over rivals Upminster – and their first London Leagues success since December 17.

Both sides fought hard in the opening exchanges and added a penalty apiece before visitors Upminster dotted down the opening try of the afternoon after some neat wing play.

Ely reacted in style and notched their first try of the tie thanks to youngster Chris Offley, before the visitors kicked another penalty to reinstate their advantage.

The Tigers’ defence tightened in the second period and with just minutes left, Neale crashed over after Ely kicked for the corner to hand his side the points.

Sixth-place Ely return to action this weekend with a trip to high-flying East London, who have scored an impressive 190 points in their last three matches.

The capital-based club sit in third in the league standings and edged the Tigers 29-21 the last time the sides met.