STRUGGLING Westcliff suffered more National Three London & SE heartbreak as they sunk to a dramatic 26-24 defeat at CS Rugby 1863.

Westcliff led until the 79th minute and also missed a last-gasp penalty which would have secured just their second win of the season.

But their first team manager Rick Compton remained proud of his players.

“For long periods we played better than we have done all season so it’s frustrating and disappointing to have lost,” said Compton.

“The two bonus points we gained have lifted us off the bottom of the table, but it has to be seen as an opportunity that has slipped through our fingers once more.

“We have lost seven games now, at Hertford we were poor and at Bury we were outgunned but we had opportunities to win each of the others and should have done so in two or three of those games.

“Nevertheless we need to put our disappointment and frustration to bed, learn our lessons and move on.

“I was really proud of the lads on Saturday and believe there are better days and results to be enjoyed by this team.”

Westcliff started brightly and raced into a 12-0 lead with just 17 minutes on the clock.

Seb Reynolds bagged the first try before Ross Merrick added the second which Jack Jones was able to convert.

However, CS Rugby hit back almost immediately to turn things back around with two converted tries of their own in the space of just four minutes to lead 14-12.

But Westcliff were not to trail for long as barely a minute later Reynolds broke from the back of a solid scrum platform and outpaced the narrow side defence to score from 20m.

Jones failed with the conversion and, as the topsy-turvy start to the game continued, CS Rugby then regained the lead with another converted try to go 21-17 in front.

The home-side were unable to build on that though and Jones made amends for his earlier missed kicks by scoring a try he also converted to put Westcliff 24-21 ahead at half-time.

Both sides tightened up defensively after the break but Jones soon missed an opportunity to extend his side’s lead as he screwed a penalty horribly wide.

As the game drew toward its climax, Merrick appeared to have secured the win for Westcliff when crossing the line on the left wing only to be pulled back by the touch judge who confirmed a desperate covering tackle had forced him into touch.

Westcliff, therefore, remained 24-21 in front until the 79th minute when the home side scored a hugely contentious try which did not appear to be grounded properly.

The visitors now trailed by just two points and were still able to secure a match-winning opportunity when they were awarded a penalty with the very last kick of the game.

However, Jones’ effort sailed wide of the posts, leaving Westcliff to reflect on what could and probably should have been.

Westcliff: Argintieri, Bannister, O’Brien, Parmenter, Bannister, J Jones, B Jones, Skidmore, Hopkins, Binneman, Barnett, Dartnell, Anderson-Brown, Cosgrove, Reynolds

Replacements: Dellas, Smith & Manea