CHELMSFORD slumped to a heavy 46-5 defeat at the hands of London 1 North League leaders Amersham & Chiltern.

And with wins for both Chingford and Barking, they found themselves slipping back into the automatic relegation places.

Chelmsford were effectively outmuscled throughout the game and although the visitors never stopped trying, the gulf between the two teams was evident on the day.

“Credit to Amersham they are a very good side and the score line says they were 41 points better than us on the day,” said Chelmsford coach Eddie Gooby.

“Was this score a true reflection of the game, I don’t think so.

“We were competitive and we tried to play rugby, but conceding over 30 penalties in a game that both teams played to the maximum, whilst the opposition had maybe 10 against them, is bemusing and frustrating.”

Amersham & Chiltern led 29-0 at half-time before Dan Idundun slid over the line for an unconverted try to take to score to 29-5. But that was as good as it got as Amersham & Chiltern scored a further three tries.

Chelmsford are not in action this weekend and host Ruislip in London 1 North on March 5.