Rochford Hundred boosted their survival hopes with a shock 37-25 over fifth placed Ruislip.

Tom Ashton bagged 22 points and Hundred are now locked level on points with relegation rivals Harpenden.

Despite the final score-line, the match started off in a familiar mode as the home side very quickly went in for a converted try.

Ruislip then set about an unsettled Rochford with their big backs and forwards combining to launch a number of attacks on the visitors line.

Perhaps they were overconfident considering Rochford’s lowly position and if so that was a big mistake but they over complicated some moves and when an ambitious overhead pass was tried a thankful Mattie Stewart plucked it out of the air and outpaced all opposition to run the length of the field and score under the posts.

Ashton put over a simple conversion and, with the scores level, Ruislip had a player yellow carded.

They still managed to go ahead with a penalty but this was then clawed back again by a similar effort from Ashton.

Another Ruislip penalty gave them back the lead before Ashton struck one of his own to put them on equal terms.

Gradually Rochford, with their fast pace and speed of hand, took the game to their higher placed rivals and a breakthrough came when stand off Dan Needham broke through to score.

Ashton duly obliged with the conversion but Ruislip responded with another try of their own which went unconverted.

Just before half time another piece of inventive play saw second row James Needham ,not to be out done by his brother, drive over for a crucial try and ,once again Ashton slotted the ball through the uprights to put the score at 27 – 18 to Rochford at the break.

In the second half, centre Ashton somehow found space after a fine build up to slip through the Ruislip defence to dive over under the posts and had great delight in kicking the conversion.

Ruislip they went over for a converted try but it was too little too late.

Rochford were not to be denied and the icing on the cake came when the pack set up a perfect position for centre Ashton to drop the most sublime of drop goals straight through the uprights which even a certain Mr.Wilkinson would have been proud of.