By Peter Yeates

Finchley 19
Barnet Elizabethans 34
London Three North West

The crusade continues for Barnet Elizabethans as they achieved a five-try to two victory in the North London derby at Summers Lane on Saturday to stay in third place.

The Byng Road club's second half performance was the key factor in the match as they outpaced the home side in attack and defence.

Finchley struck first with a penalty goal and in the opening quarter they looked very dangerous, especially in the backs, but once Barnet's forwards started to rumble it became a contest of the home backs against the away pack.

Elizabethans responded with a Glyn Bayley try to give them a 5-3 lead but this was cancelled out by a home try.

Then Barnet scored a Jonny Hart penalty which was cancelled out immediately by a home penalty. In their best spell of the first half, Barnet took the lead right on half time with a lineout move ending with Jonny Wilkins scoring a try to give Barnet a 13-11 half time lead.

The away side started the second half stronger and Bayley went very close to scoring on two occasions. However, his team mates combined to score a good try when the team won a linmeout in the Finchley 22 and a swift move involving Sean Blake and Paul Nash in midfield saw the former break the line to score under the posts. Hart converted.

Finchley were not to be beaten and scored a penalty goal and try in swift succession to make it 19-20.

The dominance of the away side was confirmed with substitutions, particularly Matt Greenwood, who controlled the back of the scrum well.

It was he who made his mark with two tries - one a breakaway from a scrum, the other a textbook pushover scrum - with Hart adding both extras.

Elizabethans had to defend resolutely at the end, even when they received two yellow cards.

Barnet are at home on Saturday to Cheshunt in their outstanding league game twice postponed. The match at Byng Road kicks off at 3pm.