Beccles moved into the next round of the RFU Senior Vase Cup after a hard-fought clash at Beef Meadow.

In wet and slippery conditions Beccles were the first to adapt, choosing to use their forwards well with some close play at the break-down. This was to pay dividends as Welwyn infringed at the breakdown and Wade coolly slotted over.

Welwyn, to their credit, ran the ball when possible but too many handling errors combined with some strong defending from Sale and Edwards proved too much for the visitors and another penalty from Wade doubled Beccles' lead.

The back row continued to impress, Tipple proving to be of value in the line-out, as well as B&B Skip-Hire man of the match Starks, who was immense all over the park. With the half coming to a close, the hosts infringed at the breakdown and the visitors reduced the deficit to 6-3.

With the first half being dominated by forward play the second was to be dominated by the backs. Williamson showed good awareness to intercept the ball on the halfway line and finished off impressively, with Wade converting.

From this point it was one-way traffic. A series of drives from the Beccles pack provided a good platform for Hewitt who fed top try-scorer R Wilson, who crashed over for Beccles' second try. Wade converted to make the score 20-3.

In typical fashion of late, Beccles took their foot off the gas and three penalties in quick succession for going in at the side meant that Giddins was to pay the price and received a yellow card. The well-drilled Welwyn outfit made the most of their one-man advantage and scored a try of their own.

With the game coming to an end Welwyn found themselves running out of their own five-metre line. The winger knocked the ball on allowing Williamson to hack the ball through and dive over to score his second of the game.

Beccles will be happy to have won their fifth game on the bounce and will hope their winning form continues when they entertain Upminster on Saturday.