Dagenham were left defeated in their Regional Two Anglia derby meeting with Thurrock after a tough battle at Central Park.

After a period of exchanging possession, the visitors were the first to strike with their winger running in a try after some good counter-attacking play.

The Ds soon struck back with a try of their own, as a good grubber kick through from Jordan Calverley put pressure on the Thurrock full-back, with the chasing Will Knowlden rewarded when he managed to charge down the attempted clearing kick and dot down for the score.

Dagenham soon extended their lead further when a good set move in the backline saw Earl Gorman crashing through to score under the posts.

And the hosts continued to apply pressure, putting together good phases in both attack and defence.

Unfortunately, a series of penalties gave away easy field position and Thurrock capitalised to score two tries from close range, to leave the half-time score 19-12 in their favour.

Early in the second half, Thurrock were awarded a kickable penalty which they converted to extend their lead into double figures.

Dagenham soon reduced the arrears as Liam Power produced a great line break down the left wing before the ball was spread all the way to the opposite wing for Dylan Peña to dive over for the try.

However, Thurrock came back immediately after being given more easy field position for their back row to crash over from short range.

And the visitors pushed further ahead with another converted try following some good handling to find the space.

Dagenham soon had an opportunity of their own through a series of scrums in opposition territory until the ball was shifted to the wing where Peña was again able to beat the defence to score his second try of the game, also securing a vital four-try bonus point in the league table.

Gorman went within inches of scoring another try but was denied by an excellent last-ditch cover tackle from Thurrock.

The clock was against the hosts and the final say went to a Thurrock, beating a tired defence to score in the corner and leave the final score at 41-24.

Despite a disappointing result, Dagenham will be pleased with an improved performance on recent weeks as they prepare for the rearranged fixture against Harlow at Central Park this Saturday.