Newham Dockers (in white) try to tame the Medway Dragons

Newham Dockers 26

Medway Dragons 38

»Newham Dockers coach Chris Williams applauded his team’s character after they narrowly lost an entertaining match against Medway Dragons.

In a hard-fought encounter, where the advantage changed several times in the first half, the Dockers put up a spirited display.

But despite their tenacity, they went away empty handed after Dragons upped the tempo in the second half.

“Despite losing the game I’m thoroughly proud of the boys and their performance,” said Williams.

“The improvement from the start of the season to now is huge, and that’s down to the commitment of the players.

“With three games left, I want us to keep performing like this and show the rest of the league that we’ll be a team to watch next season.”

The Dockers had the perfect start when, on the very first play of the set, Anthony Sinclair found Dovydas Jankauskas who showed great speed to touch down in the corner for a 4-0 lead.

Dragons hit back to score twice for a 10-4 advantage, but Docker Brad Rackham crossed the line for a converted try that levelled the scores at 10-10.

The Dragons refused to roll over and led 22-16 at the break.

A try from Ranjit Singh, converted by Sinclair, adding the points for Newham.

In the second half, tries from full-back Owen Flindall and Rackham raised hopes.

But Medway kept their foot on the gas to secure a narrow victory.