An inspiring display of 15-man attacking rugby by a Braintree side depleted by injury and absence that took the pitch with no substitutes. It was do or die for each player.
From the start Braintree's forwards dominated. Within a few minutes Flanker Danny Brand bullied his way through Chelmsford's defence to touch down. Joss Adams converted.
Minutes late Brand was back, when, from a Chelmsford scrum on their own 5m line, he snatched the ball as it came free and crashed his way through for his second.
Two more tries, one from centre Jacob Bryant, and one, just on the half time from No 8 James Caulfield, put Braintree in a commanding position.
But with a squad of 24, Chelmsford were able to field fresh legs and with the wind and the slope in their favour, broke through the defence to score in the corner.
No matter. Within a few minutes, any hope of their comeback was extinguished with a fantastic forward's try from James Caulfield, and another from Hooker Jake Parkin put the game beyond them. Although the home team managed to pull one back, it was answered in the last few minutes of the game by Caulfield's last of three, converted by Adams.
Tries: Caulfield (3), Brand (2), Bryant, Parkin
Conv: Adams (2)