ROCHFORD stunned local rivals Westcliff to get their hands on the Essex Intermediate Cup, with a 12-0 win at Warners Bridge on Sunday.

Hundred were real underdogs against the London Three North East champions who had already beaten them twice this season.

But four penalties from fly half Tom Ashton and some determined defending was enough to secure victory for Rochford.

And their director of rugby Dean Cutting was rightly proud of his team's performance.

"It's been a good season for us and it's nice to finish it off with a trophy," he said.

"We're third in the league and have had some good cup runs so we're pleased with the way it's gone.

"The second time we played Westcliff this season we gave them a good game for three quarters of the match and that gave us hope going into the final.

"We stepped it up again though and I'm so pleased and proud to have got the win, especially with the local rivalry which exists between the two teams."

In conditions more akin to mid-winter than early spring, Rochford out-muscled their rivals in a forward dominated encounter.

But it was Westcliff who missed the first chance to open the scoring as Warren Duff failed to convert a penalty kick.

They then suffered another blow when Rob Smith was sin-binned for 10 minutes and during that spell Ashton opened the scoring with his first kick of the afternoon.

Garrick Cowley then joined his team mate in the sin-bin and another kick from Ashton made it 6-0.

He then did likewise to extend the lead to 9-0 and at the start of the second half he kicked his fourth penalty to put Rochford a further three points ahead.

Only then did Westcliff step up their game but their misfiring backs were unable to make the most of some promising situations as Hundred's defence impressively stood form.

That delighted their skipper Matt Norris who held aloft the trophy at the final whistle.

"We were real underdogs but came out on top and the boys really put a lot of effort in," said Norris.

"It shows real sign of promise for next season too. Westcliff have only lost once this season and we need to try and get that kind of consistency in our game as well.

"Some of the games we lost this year we shouldn't have and that's something we need to sort out for next year."

Westcliff were left disappointed by the result and offered no excuses for their below par display.

"They were more up for it than we were and definitely deserved to win," said press officer Geoff Sawyer.

"We also showed on a few occassions the kind of form which has won us the league and it was a shame because it would have nice to make it a double."