With the business end of the season well and truly upon them Wymondham hit fine form against Ely to go top of the London 3EC table.

In an evenly matched encounter they edged past Ely 22-15 to go above their rivals on points difference, with fellow contenders Holt three points further back after a surprise defeat at West Norfolk.

Tries from scrum-half Charlie Delaney and winger Ben Edwards ensured Wymondham had the lead at half-time, only for Ely to come back strongly after the break. The Ely try three minutes into the second half took them ahead and even a great score from Wymondham prop Luke Beales brought only temporary relief for the crowd at Barnard Fields.

As the final quarter developed Ely won a series of penalties that left them close to the Wymondham try line and it took a huge defensive effort to keep them out. A late try from Wymondham was disallowed for a forward pass and only the sight of a last minute penalty from Delaney soaring through the posts meant the home crowd could finally relax.

A tense affair which could have gone either way and congratulations go to both teams on an excellent game of rugby.

In London 1N Diss suffered another defeat, going down 55-0 at Southend Saxons.

The game illustrated the gulf between two sides at completely different levels within the league. Diss deserved to lose but played an open brand of rugby that highlighted the youthful promise that will stand them in good stead for the seasons ahead.

The Diss front row of Tim Groom, Matt Richards and the improving Michael Jones dominated the set- piece all afternoon. John Bergin, George Easton and Nick Garnham all carried with vigour but all too often a lack of precision and ball retention allowed the Saxons to counter-attack, with Harry Branch and Chris Vaughan dominating all attacking options, setting up a number of well executed tries through a potent back division.

For Diss Warren Wilby was outstanding in both attack and defence, halting numerous Southend thrusts while leading attacking opportunities as they presented themselves.

In the last few games Diss have conceded a series of tries within the final quarter but a determined effort saw them concede only three tries in the second half this time, with Tom Ramsey, Ray Crossan and Jack Sexton touching down

Tom Miller, Will Thomson and Conner McBryde all defended with passion while George Jones is growing in confidence at fly-half. At no stage did the Diss heads drop - they kept on playing a positive brand of rugby that was appreciated by home and visiting supporters alike.

Both clubs have now have a weekend off, with the league season resuming on March 2.