Crocs let lead slip at Thorne

They remain second from bottom and need to overtake Leodiensian, who remain two points ahead of them after being crushed at Old Rishworthians.

It was a familiar tale for Crocs yesterday as they again looked capable of winning at half time, only to give away soft points at vital stages.

In glorious sunshine, Crocs were the brighter side early on. With James Cooper dominating the line outs, the visitors drove hard at the home line on several occasions in the opening quarter without reward.

However, an infringement at the breakdown gave recently arrived South African Devin Wells the opportunity to put Crocs in front with a well-judged penalty.

When play switched to the other half, instead of relying on the impressive boot of fly half Wells to clear their lines, Crocs tried to run the ball from deep in defence and a dropped pass led to the opening try for the hosts.

James Wainwright caught the eye with a good turnover, followed by a break which resulted in debutant winger Sam Holmes being tackled into touch yards short of the line.