The Tigers absorbed a lot of pressure early on as Thurston were pumped from the off – and disaster struck when Ely had a man red carded.
Afterwards Thurston scored from an Ely error when the ball was knocked-on and fly-hacked through, the opposition won the chase and dotted down for a converted try.
Thurston then lost a man to the sin bin and consistent pressure from Ely finally paid off when Luke Cornwell touched down in the corner at the back of a rolling maul.
In the second half Ely’s fitness started to show and Thurston were unable to deal with the Tigers attack.
Ely gained a scrum on the five metre the ball came out and a well worked back move saw Ryan Clark slice straight through the opposition defence and touch down for a converted try.
In the final play of the game the Tigers shipped it wide to Luke Turner who sprinted round two defenders a dotted down for a final try.
Man of the match went to Grant Storey for a solid performance in the loose play.
The final score was 38-10.
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 The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.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 here