A disappointing opening thirty minutes sent Ely Tigers to their first defeat in four London League contests last weekend.

The Tigers were hit by two early tries as they went down 29-21 to East London at Downham Road on Saturday.

Ely found themselves two tries down after a less-than-impressive opening half an hour, but fired back through Joel Scott Paul, who sprinted through and dotted down under the posts.

Five minutes later Scott Paul added his second after stepping past the final defender and touching down.

However, the visitors went into the break ahead after notching their third converted try of the afternoon.

Ely responded well in the second half with Paul Dewey showing a fleet foot to dart round his opposition number and score, with Scott Paul adding the arrears.

East London then dug in deep and kept a high defensive line, allowing their attackers to run in two more tries and seal the points.

Ely will hope for an instant response this Saturday when they take on mid-table rivals, Stowmarket.

The Tigers travel to a Stowmarket side who have struggled to find consistency this season – the Suffolk side have lost two and won two of their last four London League Division Three North East encounters.