St Albans Centurions U13s consolidated their second place in the London League (North) after a 34-24 victory over London Skolars, their third win in a row.

Cents are second behind the also unbeaten Brentwood Eels, who have played one more game.

Both halves of the match were fairly even, with Centurions going in at half time with a 20-16 lead against the north London side. Whilst both sides enjoyed playing free flowing rugby, it was the Cents who had the edge with their defensive work, time and again shutting down Skolars’ attacking moves.

The second half was a continuation of the first, as the two tries from Skolars and three tries from St Albans came from fast flowing moves that started at distance away from the try lines.

Once again, Cents’ defensive play was the difference between the teams. At one point the Londoners were camped on the Centurions try line for two sets of six, and no matter what they tried, the St Albans boys kept them out.

With rugby league’s growing popularity, both teams had over 20 players so a friendly was organised, which Cents won 16-12.

After the game, head coach Craig Naylor said: “Another fine performance from the Cents. You can see the team gelling with every game. We try and make training as fun and enjoyable as possible, and it seems to be paying off. The boys love this game and enjoy playing it.”

This weekend sees the Centurions travel to Essex to play top of the table Brentwood in the second round of the London League Cup.