WESTCLIFF’S National Three London & SE survival hopes suffered a huge blow with a 33-22 defeat at fellow strugglers Guernsey.

The reverse leaves Westcliff just one point and place ahead of the drop zone.

And their first team manager Rick Compton knows they now have a real fight on their hands to stay up.

“The result was disappointing and there is no getting away from the fact that we have a huge task ahead of us if we are to achieve our goal of retaining our place in this league,” said Compton.

“The bonus point keeps us out of the drop zone at this stage but with five games to go we need to find performances that produce positive results or we are sure to slip into it.

“To do that we must tighten up defensively because we are leaking too many points at crucial times at the moment.

“But it’s something we are capable of doing and something we must work on too.”

Westcliff we also need to start matches better than they did at the weekend as Guernsey scored two quick fire tries inside the opening 15 minutes.

However, the visitors gradually hit back and began to enjoy a better share of territory and possession.

Shortly after the half hour mark, that pressure brought reward when a series of phases on the home line allowed the time and space for the ball to be transferred along the line to Conor O’Brien who scored wide on the left.

Continued pressure from the visitors saw them get over again through Sam Reynolds on the stroke of half time and a well struck conversion cut Guernsey’s lead to 14-12 at the break.

But Guernsey started the second half as they had the first and in the opening 15 minutes they scored three tries, two of which were converted to establish an emphatic 33-12 lead.

Guernsey’s purple patch had taken the game away from Westcliff very quickly and the visitors were once more playing catch up rugby against dangerous and committed opposition.

It was to prove a step too far and they had to content themselves with a consolation bonus point through scoring two further unconverted trys - the first from Reynolds once more and the crucial second from debutant hooker Billy Morrant.

Westcliff: Bannister, Mamea, O Jones, O’Brien, Merrick, Dudman, Parmenter, Brown, Whiting, Binneman, Dartnell, Anderson-Brown, Smith, Scoggins, Reynolds.

Replacements: Morrant, Cosgrove & Roskams.

>Westcliff’s second team also made the trip to Guernsey and thrashed their hosts 55-0.