Barnet Elizabethans are in second place in the Herts-Middlesex League 1 after cruising past Verulamians 49-13 on Saturday.

The first of seven Elizabethans’ tries came inside the opening minute when Matt Nicholas burst through before releasing Harry Avent to score under the posts. Harry Eade converted with minimal fuss.

Verulamians responded well to the early setback and soon pulled the score back with a converted try of their own.

However, two tries in quick succession from the hosts had the Elizabethans back in control. First, Chris Blomiley touched down, before Sanjay Dewan chased his up chipped kick and crossed the line.

Both scores were converted by the impeccable Eade, putting BE’s 21-7 up, only for a pair of Verulamians’ penalties to reduce the deficit.

However, after Nicholas scored his second try by bursting through the visitors’ backline, it was all Elizabethans and the home side did not look back.

Adrian Todd seized on an error by the away side to score under the posts, before Matt Harris and James Oram weighed in with further scores to highlight Elizabethans’ superiority.