Eastern Counties Division Two Ely 79 Harwich and Dovercourt 0 TABLE-TOPPING Ely Tigers picked up their biggest-ever league win to send out a clear message to the chasing pack. Ely took control from the start on Saturday, with Sam Sanders-Hewett s kicki

Eastern Counties Division Two

Ely 79

Harwich and Dovercourt 0

TABLE-TOPPING Ely Tigers picked up their biggest-ever league win to send out a clear message to the chasing pack.

Ely took control from the start on Saturday, with Sam Sanders-Hewett's kicking proving to be a constant thorn in their mid-table opponents' side.

After his kick put Ely in a good position, Harwich and Dovercourt conceded a penalty and the ball was moved to James Dening to score a try for an early 7-0 Tigers' lead.

Sanders-Hewett launched a huge kick from the restart and, after Ely comfortably won the resulting lineout just, outside the 22-metre line, scrum-half Jamie Russell chipped the defence before putting Lee Coulson in to score.

Sanders-Hewett again thumped the ball forward from the restart and, after Harwich badly missed the clearance kick, Jamie Russell caught, chipped over for Lee Coulson to put Stacey Mould through to score. Soon after, Ed Fahy kicked a penalty and the Tigers led 20-0.

Harwich and Dovercourt could not cope with the constant Ely pressure and when they mishandled, Gavin Ross pounced and scored unopposed.

The Ely scrum set up the next try, driving the ball forward, before releasing Sanders-Hewett to score. Ely then came straight back again with Sanders-Hewett jinking his way through to score another try to give his side a 41-0 half-time-lead.

The Tigers continued to rip their opponents apart in the second half and quickly extended their lead when Fahy broke and put Tim Mills in to score.

Andy Hugo then came on to replace skipper Gavin Ross and made an immediate impact with a long break from 70 metres out, which was finished by Fahy.

Ely were gifted their next try when, after winning a scrum 10 metres out, the demoralised Harwich and Dovercourt forwards broke up and Ely pushed on until number-8 James Dening dropped on the ball to score and make the score 67-0.

Ely refused to take their foot off the gas with, Mark Mitzman crashing over in the corner from the front of a line-out to increase their lead, before Andy Hugo made another searing break to put Fahy in to seal a Tigers' record win.

Fahy single-handedly scored 29 points in the game, eight coming from conversions.

Ely coach, Terry Moore said: "None of the 18 Ely players used looked anything but excellent. The spine of the team worked particularly well and the control gained by the form of James Dening and Sam Sanders-Hewett and Jamie Russell gave us complete supremacy, which the rest exploited so well. I was especially pleased with young hooker Ricky Neale who had his best game of the season.