St Albans bolstered their chances of survival in London 2NW with a hard-fought 8-3 win over Hemel Hempstead.

The teams went into the match occupying two of the bottom three spots and needing a win to close a sizeable gap between themselves and the rest of the table.

After a cagey start, Dave Jones put the Saints in front with a debut try. Harry Trude added three more points as St Albans turned around at the break 8-0 ahead.

Hemel kicked a penalty after the interval and began to pile on the pressure but St Albans uncompromising defence made tackle after tackle, even when reduced to 14 men, to seal a vital win.