SOUTHEND’S under-16s have won the Essex Cup for the third year in a row, beating Brentwood 39-3 in the final.

Southend started slowly but soon got into the game with a half-the-length-of-the-pitch run by their impressive centre Matthew Needham.

After that, Southend began to pull away around the 20-minute mark as Tom Clayton scored after a very well-executed driving maul.

The conversion was kicked by Jac Sexton who controlled the game throughout from fly-half.

After the break, Southend’s dominance began to pay dividends with Louis Dunmore scoring two fantastically well-taken tries.

On both occasions he showed a number of Brentwood players a clean pair of heels and sped through to score.

Southend closed the game out with all their substitutes coming off the bench and making an impact.

And that delighted their coach Harry Hudson.

“This group of players are exceptionally talented but what I enjoyed the most from this performance was their attitude,” said Hudson, who also plays for Southend’s first team.

“They all worked extremely hard and their ability to adapt to the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses was excellent.

“It’’s a great achievement to have won this cup.”

Southend’s youngsters will now be heading off to South Africa on a summer tour.

Out there they will play four games, one of which will be at a township where they will leave behind their rugby kit for their less privileged opposition.