Braintree Rugby Club manager Brian Joslin was quick to hail a "great result" against one of their promotion rivals as the Black and Ambers' first team celebrated their first win in a year.

They secured an Essex League division one 26-12 victory at Clacton.

After a torrid time in London League division two north east last season, the club made the decision to opt out of the league after being unable to field a side two games in a row and dropped down several steps.

After the game team manager Joslin said: “It was a very tough game but let it be noted that we recorded our first league win for over a year.

“For periods of the first half we were under immense pressure from Clacton’s huge pack, but our disciplined defence managed to keep them at bay.

"As the game went on their pack tired and our backs were able to shine and score some outstanding tries.

“Clacton were very strong and I’ve no doubt they’re going to be one of the front-runners in this league so it was a great result for us.

“I was very pleased with the defensive effort of the team.

"We’ve worked hard over pre-season on defence so that was a massive positive.

"Our back line is more than capable of playing two leagues higher than Essex One and not looking out of place so we need to get the ball to them.”