Dings Crusaders 9 Barking 18: With both sides taking maximum points from their opening two games, this had all the makings of a great game.

Sadly it proved to be an 80-minute struggle between the packs, with Dings losing out to the much heavier Barking eight for long periods.

The match was settled by the visitors' stand-off Craig Ratford, who landed five from six penalties and a drop goal.

Disrupted by the late loss of prop Chas Meddick and No 8 Gavin Curry, the Dings pack failed to secure enough good ball to exploit an undoubted edge in the backs.

The visitors opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a penalty from Ratford, cancelled out a minute later by Dings stand-off Adam Westall, who added a second penalty on 14 minutes. Ratford replied on 17 minutes to make it 6-6.

Dings' cause was not helped when scrum-half Ricky Jones was sin-binned on 20 minutes, with Ratford landing the resultant penalty.

Barking pressure eventually produced a penalty for Ratford to extend the visitors' lead to 12-6 two minutes before half-time.

A flowing move from their own 22 saw Dings full-back Orlando Stott just caught with a last-ditch tackle from wing David Vincent.

Dings reduced the arrears to 12-9 through a Westall penalty, the fly-half having missed another from a similar range, but it was Barking who took the spoils with a penalty and a last-minute drop goal.