MARCH Bears’ coach Richard Horne has praised his battling side’s “best performance of the season” after they were defeated 36-0 by the high-flying Renegades on Saturday.

A depleted side meant the fixture was a huge challenge for the Bears, who put in a stubborn defensive display against visitors who have been in imperious form this season in the X.X. Super Deuxieme Nord Merit League.

“It was the best game they have played,” said Horne, whose side had beaten Ely Thirds 62-0 the week before.

“We are going in the right direction. This is a development season and we are trying to be a coaching beacon to get the player numbers up as part of the three year plan.

“We have stopped talking about the score - we are only talking about the quality of the performance.”

After seeing an early 40-yard penalty attempt come back off the post, March were forced into long periods of determined tackling to keep the visitors at bay.

But it was a defensive error that eventually led to the first try and this was followed by a second score from a strong scrum, propelling the Renegades into a 15-0 lead at the break.

The visitors went on to dominate the second half, using their big forwards to control the game and run in three more converted tries.

The Bears are looking for more players, especially prop forwards, and training takes place at the Elm Road Sports Field on a Thursday evening at 6:45.